


When The Darkness Comes

by OneHundredSuns



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allison Argent & Lydia Martin Friendship, Alternate Universe, Archery, BAMF Allison Argent, Blood and Gore, Canonical Character Death, Derek Has Issues, Drama, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fighting, Hunter Allison, Hurt/Comfort, Loosely Based on The Shannara Chronicles, Mentions of Past Derek/Paige - Freeform, Nemeton, Nogitsune, Pointed ears, Post-Apocalypse, Romance, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Violence, Wendigos, Were-Creatures, Werewolves, Wolf Derek, Wolf Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 20:32:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10047629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneHundredSuns/pseuds/OneHundredSuns
Summary: Following the Great War with a dark spirit, humans, Hunters and supernatural creatures are all attempting to coexist. Some more peacefully than others. As a Hunter, Allison Argent protects those that can’t protect themselves. As a werewolf, Derek Hale seeks to keep his family and his Pack safe. But neither could have predicted what was to come, or just how much they would end up needing each other to possibly survive.





	1. The Way Things Are

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is loosely based on The Shannara Chronicles tv show. If you’ve seen it you’ll no doubt pick up on things and if not hopefully everything is explained with enough details that it’s still interesting/makes sense.  I hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think! (As always rating will rise & watch the tags as they are added. :) )

Chapter One: The Way Things Are

Allison Argent was running at top speed through the woods of the Beacon Hills Preserve with a black bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows jiggling on her back. Her long brown hair was twisted up into a messy bun that had long since became ragged, sending tendrils streaming down the side of her face and into her dark eyes. Her normally pale skin was flushed red and damp from exertion; she’d been running nonstop for at least three miles now. Like a gazelle she leapt over fallen logs and darted around thick tree trunks, ducking low hanging branches and ignoring when her clothes caught on a cluster of briars. She was tired and her muscles were burning but she knew if she stopped she would be dead. Just a little farther. Just a little more and this would finally be over.

Hopefully.

Her boots skidded on a pile of gravel as she rounded a steep corner and she gasped, forcing her legs to maintain their balance. Something growled menacingly behind her—to close for comfort—so she threw herself forward and _ran_.

Jobs like this were never easy but she volunteered for them just the same because she didn’t want anyone else to get hurt or god forbid, die. Besides she’d been going on _The Run_ since she was fifteen with others and then alone since turning eighteen two months ago. It was hard but as an Argent she’d been taught long ago what her duty was and how she was to go about making her family proud. Though these days her family consisted of just two people and only one she could really trust since her mother’s passing last year. But she didn’t like to think about that.

With a huff she broke through the tree line, stumbling out of the thick overgrowth to the wide field that stretched beyond. By now the sun had disappeared beneath the horizon, the lovely glows of orange and red replaced by the dim haze of oncoming nightfall. Most normal people knew to be inside or at least semi armed when darkness came but she wasn’t a normal person. Well depending on whom you asked she wasn’t a normal person.

The field was dotted with large boulders and the remnants of buildings or houses that had long since been reclaimed by the earth. Allison had seen very old pictures about what it used to be like. What the world was like before war and intolerance tore everything apart. Had she simply been told she wasn’t sure she would have believed it all. Machines that could fly and something called the _internet_? Sounded like stuff out of a fairytale.

Jerking herself back to the task at hand, Allison backed away from the trees towards the nearest jagged piece of concrete jutting out of the ground just as the three figures that had been chasing her tripped into view. They were men—or they used to be—with glowing white eyes and snaggly sharp fangs. Their clothes were tattered and dirty, their hair twisted and fuzzy like a bird’s nest. Yet even looking so deranged they were intelligent creatures which were why they were so dangerous. Any animal that could make traps for its prey was something that should be given a wide birth, especially the ones that actively hunted once the sun went down. One with a minimalistic human brain that could plan and think? Well needless to say they’d turned into quite a problem over the years.

But then again it was Beacon Hills so things had never been happy or completely peaceful. At least not since she’d been alive.

Allison pulled a silver tipped arrow from her engraved quiver and lifted her bow, lining up a shot as the three “men” snarled and lumbered closer. Her heart was racing wildly in her chest; her lungs were burning with the need for more air but she ignored what her body was screaming entirely to focus on the matter at hand.

“This is your first and only warning,” she said slowly. “Return to your caves or you will be put down.”

The oldest of the creatures laughed, smelling like rotting food and hot garbage. “Really?” His voice was deep and raspy; managing to retain a little about it that had once been human. “You’re all alone _girl_. All alone and so fresh. We like ‘em fresh. We like ‘em with blood pumping and skin tenderized.”

“Salted meat!” Grinned the second. “I want her legs.”

She kept her face free of emotion. “Back to the caves. Now.”

Apparently the time for talking was over because as a unit they lunged at her, claws extended and faces distorted in hunger. Allison fired the first arrow into the leader’s shoulder and reloaded quickly, the second striking the youngest in his thigh. The third howled and barreled towards her like a battering ram, swiping at any part of her it could reach. She twirled her bow and hit him hard across the face to send him crashing to the ground, kicking him in the chest for good measure once he was down.

She darted over to the solid square piece of cement and climbed up onto it, reaching down into the hidden bucket on the other side and yanking out a single arrow. On the end was a wet white rag. Quickly she dug into her pocket, pulled out a lighter and struck it against the rag, igniting it into a bright ball of yellow fire.

“Guess the only thing on the menu tonight is you guys.” Winking, she launched the fireball at the ground beneath the leader’s feet and it erupted into a massive circle of flames that lit up everything within reach.

The monsters wailed and writhed around as they were burned alive and the smell of gasoline became nearly overwhelming. Allison watched as they tried to get up, tried to crawl away only to slump back in place and scream—their skin sizzling off the bone to clump onto the dirt like melted wax. As usual she couldn’t stand to see them suffer though they surely deserved it, and put three arrows in their heads to go ahead and end it. Some Hunters liked to watch them burn but she’d never been one of them. She wasn’t her Aunt.

“Jesus…” She sat down heavily and smoothed a hand across her forehead. The adrenaline was slowly starting to ebb away and she could feel every strain and bruise. Even the horrid smell of burning flesh wasn’t enough to make her get up and go right away.

_“Hey! This is Sexy Slim to Silver Huntress, over! Do you read me Silver Huntress?”_

Allison rolled her eyes and fumbled for the small black box in her left pocket, taking it out and pressing the red button. “I’m not calling you that, Stiles. We’ve been over this like a hundred times.”

She could hear the pout in his voice when he replied, _“Aw c’mon! Your dad said we should have code names in case anyone else is listening on our channel. And dude you just said my name out loud now they know who I am!”_

She chuckled. “No one is _listening_ trust me. Also I think he was just messing with you. No one else has a code name.”

_He grunted. “That’s because they’re not as cool as us. Anyway though how goes the hunt? Do we have deep fried Wendigos yet?”_

_And then some._ “Indeed we do though…there were three this time. Bold as you please too; didn’t even try to pretend to be normal.”

_“Huh that’s the fourth case in like two months,” He said contemplatively. “Welp I’ll mark it down for the next meeting. Dad will want to know since the farmers have been riding his ass about missing cattle and such. However since Wendigos eat humans it’s probably not them mutilating the livestock. I’ll bet it’s w-o-l-v-e-s.”_

Allison outright laughed. “Stiles if they _are_ listening you know they can spell right?” He squawked but she continued. “It’s not the wolves. It might not be the Wendigos but I know it’s not the wolves.”

_“I guess.” Stiles yawned. “You on your way back?”_

“I am.” Sighing, she slid off the rock and made her way towards the tiny pinpricks of light in the distance. “Be there in about thirty.”

_“See you then!”_

The tiny machine in her hand beeped and she turned it off, sliding a finger over the groves. From what she’d been told it used to be called a _walkie talkie_ but that was ages ago and now they called them _listeners_.

So the story as was told to little kids and adults alike was that once upon time the world was filled with technology and wonderful inventions, and every day something new popped up to titillate the senses. And it went on like this for years and years and people were more or less happy. Then one day an evil force crawled its way out of the ground and basically shattered the world while also forcing people to confront that the supernatural was real. But humans were tenacious so they got over it and tried to defeat this evil as they would any other.

However you couldn’t just shoot an evil spirit that body jumped at will. The Nogitsune was powerful and extremely smart—it played everyone like they were chess pieces and by the time it was finally destroyed, the world was in shambles. It never quite recovered especially now that everyone knew werewolves and other types of supernaturals existed. Some wanted the wolves taken out while others considered them allies because they’d fought _with_ the humans. Though as with most things a few bad apples on both sides ruined whatever tentative peace that had been building and another war broke out. This one lasting for generations with other were-creatures taking the wolves’ side. Naturally.

The fighting was brutal and so many people died. Some technology was forgotten after being destroyed and by the time the treaty was put into action there was no way of getting it back. Things had forever shifted. Names and words were lost, entire cities decimated leaving behind metal ruins that the woods eventually took back. Of course some _luxuries_ had remained like electricity but it was spotty—they were prone to rolling blackouts—and in the more rural areas it was nonexistent. 

Allison tended to not think about the areas she couldn’t see or would probably never visit. Beacon Hills was a weird mix of old world and new but it was home and she helped defend it the best she could. Unlike others she came from a long line of people who knew about beasts and how to deal with them. At one point her ancestors had actively fought against the things that went bump in the night, coming up with a code and being happy to use it to justify killing what could have been innocent creatures. If you believed what some of their ancient codex told her family was directly involved with helping to destroy the Nogitsune and because of such it had put a sort of _curse_ on the Argent line. Nothing terrible or world shifting; the Nogitsune thought supernaturals should always be able to identify an Argent for their own _safety_. As if it even gave a shit about anything other than itself.

However legend said it used its dark powers to change the makeup of those with Argent blood, giving them a noticeable Hunter mark.

Pointed ears.

Of course not all Argents went the route of Hunters but they had the ears nonetheless and for some supernaturals it was hard to even attempt to see anything else. Hunters _hunted_ and it had taken a very long time to establish that Allison and her father were different.

She’d been twelve years old when her father had declared _no more needless violence_ and uprooted her and her mother to move to Beacon Hills. Gerard Argent—her psychotic aging grandfather—had been furious and followed them, demanding obedience from his only son. The next two years were tumultuous to say the least and it took Gerard getting cancer for things to really start to simmer down. Most likely because he deteriorated very quickly.

After his death her father Chris sent a message to the local Alpha asking for a meeting in order to work out a personal covenant between them and any non human in the area. That went surprisingly well once the details were hammered out and was still in effect to this day. Beacon Hills was known as a sanctuary for wolves and other weres, known to be protected by a powerful werewolf family and the Hunters they worked with. All were welcome as long as they didn’t cause trouble. Unfortunately Wendigos tended to not give a shit about rules and did whatever they wanted. It usually consisted of eating anything with or without a pulse. The necessity of cutting down their numbers was how the Argents and the Hales came to work together more often than not.

It wasn’t perfect—las traité—but it kept them safe. It kept order and that was the most important thing.

The sound of heavy hooves brought her out of her thoughts and she glanced up to see a sleek brown horse racing across the grass, white mane flowing behind it. It caught sight of her and slowed its pace to a trot, snorting once she was within reach. She smiled and nuzzled at its neck, rubbing a hand along its soft fur.

“Hey boy. Did dad let you out to find me?” Allison patted at the horse’s side before pulling herself up into the saddle. “Or did you break out again? I guess the former since you’re all saddled up.”

The horse’s reply was to turn around and head back in the direction it had come from. He’d been a gift from her mother and she’d named him Samson because of his hair. He was a gorgeous stallion and loyal but for obvious reasons she couldn’t take him on hunts. The Wendigos would rip him apart and she loved him too much to let anything horrible happen to him. But when she was just going on a routine trade run or simply getting away from it all she always took him. There was nothing like racing across the grasslands with the wind whipping through her hair.

Then of course were the moments he showed up on his own…like tonight.

Getting home took way less time thanks to Samson for ten minutes later they were breaking over the steep hill and down into the sunken valley below where all of the houses and cottages sat. Argent Manor was a wide two story home with a makeshift corral off to the left and a shabby barn filled with chickens off to the right. It looked a lot fancier than it was; not all of the rooms were decorated and not all of the furniture was without holes. But it served its purpose and really Allison couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Besides as a base of operations it worked just fine.

Not to mention the bright spotlights and mountain ash saturated ground kept the Wendigos away.

“Here we go,” she said as Samson casually walked over to the pin where he lived. “Good boy.” Swinging down to the ground, she kissed his nose and then went about unsaddling him. Afterwards she tucked the saddle away into its little chest, made sure Samson had food and then made her way inside. “I’m home! And still human! Well half at least depending on whatever Nogitsune you ask!”

“That joke got old a long time ago.” Chris Argent stepped into the living room and pulled her in for a big hug. “Are you injured?”

She smiled and shook her head. “Just sore. They were hot on my ass for so long I had to lead them to one of the fire traps.”

Chris nodded. “Stiles mentioned you said they didn’t put up any pretenses this time. Seems like they are getting bolder every day.”

Allison shrugged off her quiver, placing it and her bow by the front door. “Yup. I think it’s safe to say they will be venturing farther from their caves as time goes on. We should put together a competent team and firebomb them.”

Chris arched a brow. “You don’t think that is a bit extreme?”

_Well…_ “Not if it saves lives.” Kicking off her boots, she turned and slowly walked into the kitchen for something cold to drink. She took a large glass jug of lemonade out of the dingy fridge and then hunted for a glass in the cabinets. “Wiping out all Wendigos isn’t what I want—you know that. But I also don’t want _them_ going into villages kidnapping people to eat later. I don’t want what happened to Matt and Heather to happen to anyone else. Ever.”

Leaning against the counter Chris watched her before humming thoughtfully. “I agree.” His voice was rough like he’d just chugged warm whiskey. “You know that I’m not second guessing you sweetheart, right?”

She smiled. “I know. I don’t mind that you have follow up questions or whatever. You should. I’m only been doing this solo for a little while.”

“That’s true but you’ve been groomed to be a leader since you were a child.” He murmured. “By myself and by Gerard as well, unfortunately. I trust you and your judgment.”

Allison gulped down her lemonade so fast that it made her shiver. In the Argent family—going as far back as the first Hunter, Marie Jeanne Valet—the women were raised to be the leaders and the men were raised to be the soldiers. Of course that wasn’t to say women couldn’t go out and get their hands dirty because they frequently did, but somewhere along the line it had been decided women had a more analytical mind for strategy. They also knew when to offer up mercy without facing the pressures of being weak for doing so. 

Being a leader wasn’t easy; it meant making difficult calls and sitting in boring meetings to determine what to do about this that and the other but Allison enjoyed the challenge. Naturally she valued her father’s opinion and went with it whenever she couldn’t decide for herself. Technically her Aunt Kate should be leading their family seeing as how she was older but one of the provisions of the treaty was that Kate never be allowed to assume any type of real power. Apparently her reputation for being a hater of all things supernatural preceded her and Alpha Hale did not trust her to be objective.

Neither did Allison.

It was a matter of contention between them; over the years Kate’s attitude and mouth had gotten smarter and smarter. If she wasn’t family Allison would send her far away.

“We’ll check out the caverns during the day and see how many are inside.” Allison wet her lips. “If there are children or their numbers are small we’ll continue with _The Run_.”

Chris moved over to the stove and pulled a covered plate out of the oven. “Alright. Here. Melissa sent over leftovers when she heard you were going out.”

Allison grinned and took the plate gratefully, flopping down at the kitchen table. Neatly arranged was a seasoned chicken breast, green beans and mashed potatoes with a misshapen biscuit. “Ugh this looks delicious and I am starving.”

Her father scratched at his bearded cheek. “Alpha Hale requested an audience with us tomorrow.”

Allison paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. “She did? Is everything alright?”

Chris shrugged. “I suppose so but I was told it was important and that we should try to make it if we can. I’m going of course…”

_So am I!_ “Me too. It would be disrespectful for us both not to go. Besides she only calls on us when something really bad is going on. Or someone is having a birthday.”

Snorting, Chris got her more to drink. “I don’t think she is asking for a social visit this time but good. The more interaction you have with the Hales the better your relationship will be. You’ll continue to have a strong ally if anything ever happens to me.”

She _hated_ when he talked that way. “You mean when you die peacefully in your very old age? Right.”

His expression was indulgent but thankfully he dropped the matter, knowing neither of them liked to think about a world where they weren’t both in it at once. It’d been hard enough when Victoria passed, taking away a much needed mother and wife. Allison wasn’t sure what she would do if she lost her dad anytime soon. The very idea made her bones brittle and cold beneath her skin.

They both looked to the back door as someone knocked rapidly four times. Stiles’ face appeared in the glass and he waved his notepad, jiggling the doorknob until Chris pushed aside the locks and opened the door. “Stiles.”

“Mr. Argent.” Stiles slipped inside. “Chris, hi. Just thought I would keep Allison company while you and my dad play poker and assure Mr. Tate that his goats are in no danger. Even though if they are it’s because they keep escaping their pin to wander around the country side like idiots.”

“Right,” Chris said wryly. “You know where I am if you need me, sweetie.” He kissed the top of Allison’s head as he exited the room.

Stiles pulled out a chair and sat. “Glad to see you’re still in one piece. Hey does this look right to you?”

Her eyes scanned his rough draft of the map he’d drawn detailing her run through the Preserve. “Yeah except I didn’t go left I went right to the fire trap all the way. Seemed too risky to detour inward to the quicksand. They were super hungry and not shy about letting me know it.”

With an _ah ha_ he started to erase what he’d gotten wrong. “But not fast enough to catch you. Thank God Wendigos are more about brute strength than speed.”

Stiles was one hundred percent civilian unlike herself but he contributed to their keeping the town safe effort in his own unique way. In fact he didn’t have any combat skills beyond swinging a bat and hoping he hit his target. Yet he was an important member of their operation because one, his father was their local Sheriff and he liked to be in the loop on all matters and two, his frenetic mind made him good at connecting dots when needed. He was the sort of person who wanted to help so they let him.

He was the second person Allison met after arriving in Beacon Hills that she became fast friends with.

“We’re going to the Hales tomorrow.”

Stiles blinked. “What? Why? I mean…no I mean what, why?”

Allison ripped off a piece of white meat and popped it into her mouth. “The Alpha asked for a meeting and it’s not like we’re going to turn her down.”

His leg began to shake. “Oh God this is because of my comment about them eating the cows, isn’t it? They heard me and now they are going to ask that you turn me over so that I can be flogged.”

Allison rolled her eyes. “Yeah I don’t think it’s about any of that. You can come with us and ask though if you want.”

He frowned at her. “Are you _trying_ to get me murdered? Or turned!? I’d make a terrible wolf. With my allergies?”

Laughing, she shook her head. “Well I’m intrigued.”

“Heh of course you are. You’re like…obsessed with them.”

“I’m not _obsessed_. I study so that I can be aware. So that I don’t end up making any of the mistakes Gerard did.”

“From what you’ve told me you could never be like him even if you knew nothing about werewolves.”

“Yeah. But knowing some of their customs shows that I’m, ya know, committed to making the covenant hold. And they happen to be really fascinating to be honest. The Hales are one of the oldest werewolf families in Cal. They’re a legacy.”

“Like the Argents. Man just imagine if you guys were at war. You’d probably break Beacon Hills in half.”

_That’s what worries me._ “I honestly pray that it never comes to that.”

Stiles patted her arm and stole her biscuit. “It won’t. For all I bitch about the werewolves they aren’t bad, not all of them. The Alpha is pretty cool and what’s more she _wants_ peace. Wendigos and bad apples aside things have been peaceful for the past four years. That flasher was level two at most but only because he had a monster cock.”

Allison coughed to keep from choking as she laughed. “I hate you.”

“You love me.” Stiles wiggled his brows. “In another universe we’re already married with babies.”

Allison kicked him good naturedly under the table. “I—”

“Aren’t you a little young to be talking about babies?” Came a voice from the doorway and they both flinched slightly. “Unless you’re working out the terms of an arranged marriage then I’ve got some suggestions.”

“Hey…Kate.” Stiles muttered. “Didn’t know you were here.” The _or I wouldn’t be_ was heavily implied.

Kate Argent waltzed into the kitchen to stand behind his chair, putting her hands on his slender shoulders. “Hey Stiles. I tell you, you get cuter every time I see you. How’s your dad?”

Stiles was stiff as a board. “Fine. We’re all fine.”

Kate squeezed the back of his neck. “Good, good. Now what’s this I hear about the Hales wanting a visit?”

Allison bit the inside of her cheek. “Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?”

Kate smiled at her lazily. “I might have heard a bit when I was coming down the stairs. I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret though.”

The thing about Kate was that she was a few cards short of a full deck if you looked close enough. She was beautiful and a skilled Hunter but she enjoyed the chase too much to be healthy. She didn’t believe werewolves or any were-creature for that matter could be good or innocent so she treated them all the same. However wolves got the brunt of her ire for some reason; something that had been creepily nurtured by Gerard. His motto had been the only good wolf was a dead wolf and Kate adhered to it like it was law.

“It’s not a secret.” Allison responded. “Dad and I are going to the Hale Manor tomorrow.”

“Oh and I suppose I’m not invited huh?” Kate inquired. “Even though I’ve been busting my ass to help her and her dogs keep the border clear. Figures.”

“Maybe it’s because you call them _dogs_.” Stiles suggested wincing as sharp nails dug moderately into his skin. “Or not. It doesn’t have to be that.”

“Leave him alone.” Allison pushed her plate away. “And he’s not wrong. Maybe Alpha Hale wouldn’t mind you if you didn’t obviously show how much you hate werewolves like it’s a badge of honor. It does nothing but undermine our treaty.”

“Treaty…” Kate spit the word out as she shoved away from Stiles. “We shouldn’t be holding hands and singing songs with those monsters. We should be wiping them out or keeping them in chains as pets. One day they are going to stop playing nice and try to kill us all, and I’m gonna say I told you so. Ali I love you but my brother was a fool to let you call so many of the shots. If I were in charge all those mangy mongrels would know their place. That’s how daddy wanted it.”

“Gerard is dead so what he may or may not have wanted doesn’t matter.” Allison got up to top off her lemonade. “Maybe if we hadn’t had to deal with him blocking us at every turn when we first tried to reach out to the Hales, the Wendigos wouldn’t be as bold as they are because we’d have cut them down already.”

“You shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.” Kate warned. “Especially not in a town built for ghosts to show up.”

_If ghosts were real I’m sure my mom would have came to visit by now._ “I’m not speaking ill I’m just being honest. Things are _good_ now. Isn’t that all that matters?”

Obviously that didn’t matter to Kate one bit but she put on a fake smile anyway, tossing her blondish hair over her shoulder. “Whatever you say sweet pea. I’m gonna go win me some spending money.”

The moment Kate was outside and the door closed behind her, Stiles deflated. “I almost wish I could warn my dad.”

Allison took her hair down and ran her fingers through it, combing out the tangles. “Wish I could warn mine too. She’s going to try to get herself into our meeting with the Hales, and that wouldn’t be good for anyone. The first and only time they met it was a disaster. Kate was a menace and basically insulted the Alpha’s entire family. I thought Cora was going to hit her.”

Stiles snickered. “But Cora seems to want to hit everyone she’s not related to. If Kate hates it here so badly why doesn’t she just leave? I mean it sucks but she could go elsewhere if she wanted to kill werewolves that bad.”

_Good question.The time before the Nogitsune_. I wonder if we would have been happier…”

Allison eased down onto the edge of her bed. “Maybe if it was all we had known. I’m not sure we would have been happier but life would have been easier. At least that’s how it’s portrayed in the history books. Monsters still existed they just weren’t as plentiful as they are now. We may have gone our entire lives without seeing one. Or you may have since there is a good chance I’d still be a Hunter.”

“Yeah.” Stiles itched at his chin. “But you can’t miss what you never had and all that. I’m alive so I’ll take that as a win. Anyway you’re probably stinky so I’ll let you wash up.”

“Gee thanks.” Allison teased. “I’ll let you know how the meeting goes.”

“Sweet! And if you see Scott remind him that he has a best friend who misses him a lot in a totally platonic way, that he hasn’t visited in two weeks.” Stiles rambled. “I’m beginning to feel unloved.”

“I will. I promise.”

Stiles left with a cheery wave and Allison dragged herself into the bathroom, hovering over her white claw foot tub so that she could turn on the water. The brass pipes sputtered angrily as they always did but slowly began to fill the tub with lukewarm water. Sometimes it would be ice cold and you’d have to remove it, heat it and then replace it if you wanted a hot bath but apparently the hot water gods were smiling on her tonight.

When the water was enough to cover most of her she turned off the faucet and stripped down, easing into the tub with a satisfied moan. It was soothing to her muscles and after a moment of just sitting quietly and replaying the day’s events, she reached for her soap and cloth to wash away the dirt and sweat.

Tomorrow was already looking to be a very interesting day.

∆ 

As expected Kate huffed and puffed the next day about not going to the meeting but Chris put his foot down, though if she just happened to waltz in anyway an hour later none of them were going to be surprised. With their horses saddled up Allison and her father set off towards Hale Manor, moving at a slow trot across the field and along the winding dusty path through their village. Not all of the monuments from the past had been sucked back into the earth but in their area it was mostly things called _satellite towers_. They were gnarled, bent and half buried but served as a reminder that things used to be different.

“Lydia was telling me about the ruins they found about twelve feet underground a few miles from here. It was an accident of course—a bunch of kids were playing around and a sink hole opened up. They were trapped for four hours before anyone came to help them.” She mused to her dad. “I think she said it used to be a store of some kind. There were old counters and chairs. Hard to imagine that underneath our feet is this whole other town.”

Chris smiled and kept a loose hold on his reins. “True but you’ve seen pictures in the archives. And I know about the collection of odds and ends you’re helping Stiles build.”

She blushed. “Be that as it may I’m just saying. In a hundred years all of _this_ could be underground and people could be finding our lost stuff.”

A bright blue bird flew overhead and Chris’ right hand migrated to his pistol. “Only if another Nogitsune arrives and causes another massive earthquake. The odds are in our favor that will never happen. Thankfully.”

Allison rolled her shoulders. “But if one did show up we’re alive this time to help deal with it. And now we know what works against it.” A pause. “In other news how was poker?”

“John cheats.” Chris grumbled without heat. “Then Kate showed up as you know and wanted to up the pot to two hundred. No one wanted to play after that except for Danny. I was happy to watch him clean her out.”

Giggling, Allison gently steered Samson away from an apple tree. “No wonder she was crabbier than usual.”

Their inane chatter continued as they moved along and soon they were deep in the woods amongst thin spiny trees and light fog that never seemed to fully dissipate. The closer they got to the Hale grounds the more agitated the horses became as if they knew predators were near. They were within moderate walking distance when they left the horses behind—tied to a simple wooden post—to continue on foot.

About fifteen minutes later the sounds of laughter broke through the quiet and Allison could see children playing in a wide yard, running around Hale Manor in what looked like a game of tag. The house itself was expansive and lovely; probably the nicest in the neighborhood. She knew for a fact the rooms were filled with vintage yet well kept furniture and that underneath were a series of tunnels leading to what was basically a dungeon. However it was used for the young wolves that hadn’t quite learned to control their shift just yet.

Out here in the middle of nowhere the Hales and their extended family lived how they wanted to live without prying eyes. That most likely led to their mystique.

No one paid them any mind as they walked up the rocky path towards the open front door. A few people waved but most ignored them or stared, eyes sliding slowly over their weapons.

“Chris. Allison. Hello.” A handsome bald black man stepped out onto the porch. “We’ve been expecting you.”

“Deaton.” Chris shook his hand. “Hope we’re not late.”

“Not at all.” Deaton replied gesturing inside. “Talia is in the sitting room. Please follow me.”

Alan Deaton was human—as far as they all knew anyway—but he was interesting. Enigmatic in a way no one else was. He was what the werewolves called an Emissary which was sort of like an advisor to the Alpha. He was a part of the Pack and protected it when need be with old magic. He also kept records of Pack and wolf history. Allison liked him; he appeared nondescript but he was a trained fighter and more importantly extremely fair.

It also didn’t hurt that he never seemed to let anything really get to him.

Upon entering the sitting room they found the Alpha Talia Hale sitting on the flowery couch in a flowing blue dress sans shoes. She was a beautiful, regal woman with dark hair and smooth olive skin. Experience and intelligence rolled off her in waves making her highly respected by supernaturals, humans and Hunters alike. Kate notwithstanding.

To show respect Chris tilted his head exposing his neck and Allison brushed her hair to the side doing the same. It was a sign of deferring to the Alpha even though they had their own hierarchy and set of rules.

“Argents, welcome.” Smiling she stood and shook their hands before offering them a seat. “I’m glad that you agreed to meet me on such short notice.”

Chris clasped her hand with both of his. “It’s our pleasure.”

Talia’s expression was amused as she turned her eyes to Allison. “Allison, still as stunning as ever. I’ve been hearing good things about your solo runs. You’ve been keeping our borders very safe.”

Allison’s cheeks flushed at the compliment. “Thank you. I do what I can…”

Talia nodded. “Well you have been doing a fine job. Oh where are my manners? Can I offer you two anything to drink?”

Allison shook her head. “No thank you.” A beat. “So my dad and I are hoping that nothing is wrong…?”

Talia placed her hands in her lap. “Honestly we are not sure. As you know we have contact with other Packs throughout the land to maintain order and be kept in the loop as it were. It also helps with trading and members who might wish to defer from their Pack to another. Over the past few weeks I’ve sent several missives to one Pack in particular yet have failed to hear back.” She sighed. “I suppose it could be nothing but I’m worried. It’s not like Deucalion to ignore letters, not even simple ones.”

“And you think something has happened to him? Is it possible his Pack has been overrun by Wendigos or something?” Allison asked carefully.

“I suppose unfortunately. Deucalion is a bit of an idealist; he believes in the best of humanity and our kind alike. If someone came to him offering friendship or peace he would assume they’re being truthful. At the very least he would hear them out.” Talia explained. “It’s commendable and yet we know there are people and creatures who would take advantage of someone with such a nature. If something has happened to him and his Pack I’d like to know…so that justice can be done.”

Wetting her lips, Allison considered her words before agreeing. “What do you have in mind?”

Talia opened her mouth to reply when movement had her looking to the left. “Derek. I was wondering if you were going to join us.”

Derek Hale stayed where he was; lingering like a shadow in the doorway. Now that Talia’s oldest daughter Laura was dead Derek was considered her second. He was a Beta—as all of the wolves under the Alpha were—but like his mother he’d inherited her exceptionally rare ability to shape-shift into the form of an actual wolf. A bit larger than normal but altogether pure as if they were as in touch with nature and their ancestors as one could be. It was a gift no one else in the Hale family possessed. That aside Derek was gorgeous…very tall, dark and handsome…for someone that scowled as much as he did. Black hair, deep green eyes, muscles…

Allison dug her nails into the side of her thigh to gain some perspective. She didn’t have a crush (no matter what anyone else thought, _Lydia_ ) on Derek but she’d known him since she was fifteen more or less and they had a bit of a…history. Nothing sordid, but still profound. The story was one of the only secrets she’d kept from her father and all of her friends.

“Decided I would,” Derek said eventually. “Have you told them yet?”

Talia smirked. “If you wish to be a part of this conversation you’ll sit down like a normal person.”

Derek sighed wearily but did as she requested. “Allison. Chris. It’s nice to see you again.”

_I wonder if he means that?_ “Hello Derek. Your mother was just telling us about Deucalion and how he might be in trouble. My dad and I will help of course.”

Talia crossed her legs. “Thank you. Deucalion’s homestead is about three day’s ride from here so I was hoping you and one of my Pack could go and check on him. I would have just sent one of mine but you and your Hunters have had more experience with killing Wendigos. In exchange I’ll have Boyd or Erica fill in with trapping duty if you wish.”

Allison shared a look with her father and noted his miniscule nod. “That sounds good. Where is the area that Deucalion lives?”

“It’s called Sacred Ni. Have you heard of it?”

“We have. Legend says it used to be a great city before the earthquake. Lots of places for Wendigos to hide. And other things. Why would he want to settle there?”

“Deucalion was something of a nomad, he liked to move around. Sacred Ni was just the latest place he called home. I do not think he intended to put down any roots.”

“Honestly I’m thinking I should be the one to go.” Allison nibbled on her bottom lip and glanced to her dad. “I’m fast and out of everyone I’ve been doing _The Run_ the longest. It’ll be new territory but I know Wendigos. I know how they think.” 

It wasn’t an idea Chris liked but he couldn’t deny her words since they were the truth. “As loathe as I am to admit it you’re right. However as you say you’ve never been to Sacred Ni so you don’t know what could be waiting for you out there. There are other dangers besides Wendigos on the road. Bandits, unfriendly tribes, unfriendly Packs, kanimas…” His frown deepened. “ _If_ you went I’d want you to also take another Hunter. Maybe Parrish; he’s capable.”

Talia cleared her throat. “Please be assured that whatever Beta I choose to go with Allison—if she does go—would put her safety above all else. She’s not only important to Hunters but to us as well because of her willingness to work _with_ us. And should they see the journey is too much I’d expect them to turn back. I want to help Deucalion but the safety of my people and my allies comes first.”

_Sounds reasonable_. “We’ll talk it over but either way someone will check on your friend for you.”

“Thank you again.” Talia stood and they all did the same. “And know that I will help you gather whatever supplies you may need.”

“Good. Then we’re more or less set.” Rubbing the back of her neck, Allison grinned. “If all of the important stuff is over I’d like to go talk to Scott if he’s around. I…have a message for him.”

“Of course. I think he’s out back playing with the children.” Talia chuckled. “If you don’t mind Chris I’d like to pick your brain about something. I believe it’s a type of ammunition.”

Leaving them to it Allison slipped out of the sitting room and outside. As strange as it sounded she was excited to be exploring another part of the land. She’d never thought about it before it was true but now that it was a possibility? Well she wanted it. Plus the chance to save a life was always a good thing. And she could trade along the way and perhaps make even more allies. If Deucalion was alive and they managed to help him surely he’d become a friend.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind her and her back straightened as Derek lumbered off the porch. He took two steps into the yard and was immediately set upon by about four children ranging from three to five. They crowded around his legs and pulled at his clothes, and his face broke out into a bright smile as they begged him to play with them. Allison couldn’t help but smile as well at the picture they all made; too cute. She touched her left side and then scrunched up her face. Dwelling on the past had never done anyone any good.

She noticed Scott sitting against a large oak tree and made her way over to him. “Hey you. Stiles says that he misses you in a totally platonic way. Why haven’t you been by to see him?”

Scott McCall grinned up at her much like an adorable puppy just happy to see your face. “Hey. And…I’ve been helping some of the younger ones with their shifts! Plus it’s nice to be around Pack; no one looking at me weird or whispering behind my back. But I guess it has been a while since I’ve talked to Stiles. He could always come here though.”

Allison sat across from him on the cool leafy ground. “You know he’s still shaky around wolves. Give him time though. The fact that he misses you at all is a good thing.”

Scott was somewhat of an accidental werewolf in that he’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The only son of Melissa McCall he’d been attacked in the woods and left for dead. When none of their medicine or healers had been able to help him, Melissa had petitioned Talia to please give him the bite in order to save his life. Usually Talia said no but Allison was of the mind that she did so for Scott because she saw a bit of Derek in him. And because she didn’t want to leave Melissa all alone seeing as how her husband was out of the picture. Either way it took and Scott officially joined the Hale Pack.

At first it caused a bit of a wedge between him and Stiles but they were steadily repairing their friendship.

“True. I’ll go see him this evening.” Scott announced. “So how are you?”

“Can’t complain.” She told him. “Well I suppose I could but I won’t. Life isn’t so bad.”

“I know what you mean.” He replied. “Being a werewolf isn’t always easy but it’s better than being dead. Derek helped a lot in the early days.”

Allison gazed at the man in question. “Yeah? That was nice of him.”

Scott hummed. “He’s a good guy. Shame what happened between him and Paige.”

Allison couldn’t help but ask, “What do you mean? Did something happen?”

Scott nodded. “Yeah she broke up with him. Cora says her parents had been trying to get her to do it for a long time but she resisted. Then suddenly she says they aren’t compatible and that’s the end of that. Though between us I think he’s more relieved than anything else.”

She was sure Derek could hear them but didn’t care. “Why would he be relieved?”

“I mean he was in love with her but things weren’t the same after they found out she couldn’t have pups. Derek would have been okay with all human babies but she wanted to be able to give him werewolf ones because of the Hale legacy or whatever. Deaton said there was something in her blood or physiology that made her incapable of having wolf kids.” Scott’s eyes were very round as he spoke. “Anyway they’d been fighting about it a lot so. And now they don’t have to anymore. I don’t know he just hasn’t looked _that_ broken up about it.”

“Didn’t know you were one for gossip.”

“Is it gossip if it’s true?”

_Good point._ “Huh. Well I’m sure Derek will be okay either way. I’ll bet the girls are just…lining up to catch his eye. Boys too.”

Scott arched a brow. “Some are.”

Allison glared at him as if she could read his mind. “That’s interesting.”

Either Scott didn’t get the hint or he barreled right past it out of stubbornness. “You could be one of them. Marriage treaties are a thing you know. I’d imagine if you and Derek got married it would be a big deal between Hunters and wolves. Bringing the two families together like how they used to do with Kings or something.”

Her fingers twitched, crushing the leaf she’d been playing with. “An arranged marriage isn’t something either of us needs. Besides, Derek isn’t the biggest fan of Hunters and that’s not a secret. He tolerates us because his mother seems to like us but that’s all.” She lowered her voice. “I know for a fact he’s not too fond of me.”

“What?” Scott inquired, clearly startled. “Who told you that?”

“No one had to tell me.” She shrugged idly. “It’s just how it is… How it’s been for a while now. Plus he’s always staring at my ears like they personally offend him.” The sudden urge to move had her standing and brushing off the back of her leather pants. “Tell my dad that I went to take Samson to stretch his legs. And don’t forget to go see Stiles.”

Before Scott could reply Allison was across the yard and disappearing into the woods, using the trees as cover.

∆ 

Derek could hear the sounds of his cousins down the hall from his bedroom as they whined about having to go to bed so early. But his Aunt Bethany—his father’s little sister—was having none of it. They would be traveling back to their own home at dawn, giving themselves ample time to make it before dark. Two of the children were human and Bethany didn’t want to take any chances that they would run into trouble once the sun went down. It was a bit harder for wolves to travel since horses were generally skittish around them and tended to not always do as they were told. Hopefully they wouldn’t try to break away from the carriage like they had last time.

Sitting with his back against the headboard of his large bed, he turned his attention back to the thick book in his lap. He’d read the same passage twice and was no closer to finding out Robert Langdon’s next move than he’d been thirty minutes ago. There was a chance there was a lot he was missing because the book had been written several centuries ago and most of what the author talked about wasn’t around anymore, but it was something to do besides listening to Cora whine about the humans or getting roped into more babysitting duty.

In truth he’d rather be outside patrolling the borders but was told to give others a chance at honing their tracking skills; mainly Isaac and Liam who were terrible at it. They would learn by doing…if they weren’t ripped to shreds in the process. Of course that wasn’t likely to happen as long as everyone kept their wits about them and paid attention to their surroundings.

Like everyone else Derek knew about the way things _used_ to be way back when but he had a feeling things were better now at least for those that communed with nature. However he couldn’t be sure since he had nothing to compare anything to. He just knew not having to hide what he truly was even around the anti-werewolf people sounded better than keeping it a secret.

Could do without the Wendigos though.

Derek heard his mother coming before she actually reached his door. “Hiding?” she asked with an amused smile. “Shutting the door might help with that.”

He rolled his eyes. “Trying and failing to read.”

She nodded and walked inside, sitting down by his stretched out legs. “You’ve been awfully quiet since the Argents’ visit. Is something wrong, my love?”

Sighing, he snapped his book closed and looked at her. “We don’t need them to help with Deucalion. If one of their Hunters goes out and gets killed while helping _us_ it’ll just make things more complicated.”

Talia smiled serenely. “Perhaps. But what is the point of having allies if you can’t call on them in times of crisis? Besides the Argents are beyond capable of handling whatever is out there and they train their soldiers well. And it’s been four years since the treaty went into effect with no trouble whatsoever. I don’t think this one trip will cause too many problems.”

He wasn’t so sure. “It will if they send the wrong person.”

Talia didn’t disagree. “That is true but from the looks of things Allison herself is going to be taking this on.”

Derek snorted. “Yeah and if _she_ dies Chris will blame us and try to slaughter us all.” Exhaling deeply, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I should go with her…if she goes. You promised the best and…”

“You are the best.” Talia reached over and caressed his bearded cheek. “It is unfortunate that she is under the impression that you don’t like her. I assume it will make it hard for her to trust you have her best interest at heart.”

“Mom,” Derek warned and she laughed. “She doesn’t need to trust me for me to watch her back. We’re not friends and I don’t ever expect us to be.”

“You mean you don’t _want_ to be.” His mother replied tilting her head to the side. “What happened was a long time ago Derek and it’s obvious she bears you no ill will. Quite the opposite if her heart rate when you walked into the room is any indication.”

_Even more reason to keep up certain pretenses._ “It’s just easier this way. For everyone involved. No one gets the wrong idea about anything and there don’t need to be any strange explanations.”

Derek would say that his relationship with Allison—or lack thereof—was complicated but more so on his end. It wasn’t something he gave much thought to until he saw her though lately with Paige breaking up with him it had been on his mind for some reason. Probably because he was in his mid twenties and the life he’d thought he’d been building had crumbled back down to its foundation quite suddenly.

The worst part was that Scott had been right; a part of him didn’t mind.

He loved Paige; they’d been together since they were teenagers and it had never mattered to him that she was human and that by being so it lowered the chance of them having werewolf children. But once she discovered that was a possibility she began to worry about it. Began wondering if there were ways to tip the odds more in her favor like eating different foods or spending more time with wolves. When she got the news from Deaton’s tests that there was _no chance_ their future children would be wolves it became a source of contention in their relationship. They argued and started spending less and less time together, but a part of him figured everything would work out once she calmed down. However that wasn’t the case and now they weren’t together anymore.

Paige had been such a light for him through several dark times and while he would miss her he was just—he wasn’t as devastated as he assumed he would be. As others figured he _should_ be. It was a bit disconcerting considering how long they’d been together and all they’d experienced as a couple. But people changed and neither of them were those sixteen year olds they’d been when they’d first met. Perhaps they had just become complacent together and comfortable in that way couples sometimes did. It didn’t mean their relationship was bad or toxic, quite the opposite really.

Talia leaned over, kissing his forehead. “If that is what you wish, but I won’t have you being outright rude to her. She doesn’t deserve that. She’s a very sweet young lady and she’s been a surprisingly steady voice for us when it comes to politics.”

Derek rubbed his knuckles. “I’d never do that, not on purpose anyway.”

Talia arched a brow. “Perhaps it would be better if you didn’t escort her to Sacred Ni then.”

Derek did not agree. “It’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

Talia glanced idly around his room and he could tell she was about to have a _deep conversation_ with him. “About Paige,” she began and he frowned. “We haven’t talked about what happened since your relationship ended. Do you want to?”

_No I really don’t._ “I don’t think there is anything to talk about. We were together and now we aren’t.”

His mother let out a put upon sigh. “Derek. Obviously it’s not that cut and dry. You and Paige had been together for _years_ and were expected to marry eventually. This must be hard for you as I’m sure it’s hard for her too. You don’t just wake up okay from a break up like this especially considering the…context.”

He honestly didn’t know if he believed that. “We changed, mom. It’s as simple as that. Paige felt she wasn’t what I needed because she couldn’t give me what she _thought_ I wanted. I told her otherwise but she wouldn’t hear it. So we broke up. Relationships end or so I’m told anyway. There is a good chance we’ll both be happier now.”

“For the record I did like her.”

“I know you did. Everyone did which _did_ make things easier. Too bad her family didn’t feel the same way about me.”

“They were blinded by their own hatred and prejudice, and one day they will have to face all of the horrible things they might have done. And you my sweet boy will meet someone else who realizes how utterly special you are. No rush of course.”

“Oh thanks for that.”

Talia laughed. “I have faith that you’ll find the person you’re really meant to be with one day. In the meantime we’ll focus on the immediate problem which is locating Deucalion. I’ll send a message to the Argents tomorrow that you plan to go with Allison to Sacred Ni, and then she can figure out when she wants to leave.” Pressing her fingers together, she gave a soft smile. “I _do_ really like Allison. I’m thankful she is in charge and not her Aunt otherwise I’m sure we’d be in the middle of a war right now.”

Derek growled at the mention of Kate Argent. He didn’t usually take to hating people after a first or second meeting but the moment he saw Kate swagger up their driveway he knew she was trouble. Upon opening her mouth she just proved all of the dark things he’d immediately thought about her. And while he’d probably never admit it out loud, he wasn’t fond of the way she looked at him either. Like he was a cross between a science experiment and something she wanted to unhinge her jaws and devour whole.

“With any luck she’ll skip town again.” Derek replied. “Or the other Argents will keep her on a short leash.” _With that in mind…_ “I’ll go see Allison tomorrow and deliver the message myself. I don’t trust it to get there without interference and I’d rather Kate not know what we’re up to.”

“Fair enough.” Talia got up and headed to the door. “With any luck you’ll find Deucalion and his people safe and sound. And if that isn’t the case at least you’ll be able to get rid of whatever might have harmed them. Safely of course.”

She left and Derek swung his legs around to put his feet on the floor. He’d been out of Beacon Hills before but never on a mission such as this. Usually it was to take Paige to visit family in neighboring villages. He was no stranger to playing bodyguard however unlike Paige; Allison could take care of herself. It was going to be… _something_ being alone with her on the road for the next week or so.

Something indeed.


	2. Into the Woods

Chapter Two: Into the Woods

It was well after ten the next morning when Derek started the rather serene trek to the village where everyone else called home. Usually he would shift and run but he didn’t know if he had any clothes stashed anywhere and showing up to the Argents naked wouldn’t send the right message. And while running as a person would still get him there faster thanks to super speed he continued at his normal pace, not exactly in a hurry. He didn’t mind the villagers—even the ones that scurried away from him—but he wasn’t looking forward to accidentally running into someone he didn’t want to see. Mainly Kate.

Derek didn’t think much of Hunters in general but he definitely despised ones like Kate Argent and her late father, Gerard. When the Argents had first offered a treaty he’d thought his mother was insane for even entertaining the idea. Obviously it was some elaborate trap to learn their secrets so that they could wipe them out. Naturally you couldn’t trust any Hunters but _especially_ not those with pointed ears. Derek could remember being a child and sitting on his great grandfather’s knee, listening with wide eyes as he explained what _pointed ears_ meant and how he should avoid anyone with them lest he find himself in grave danger. Those words had echoed in his head as he watched his mother hold polite conversation with _two_ people with said ears.

_“Elf eared Argents…” His Uncle Peter had snorted. “Now I’ve seen everything. Wolves in the wild lands would pay good money for those as trophies.”_

Peter was crazy but Derek’s own prejudices hadn’t been changed easily. It took hard work and the Argents actually making things better for him to realize he couldn’t believe a story simply because someone he trusted told it to him. Perhaps his great grandfather did have run in with other Argents that ended badly; it was possible since both lines stretched far back into the past. However Chris’ family only hunted those that hunted them and having them on the borders and training others to go against truly evil monsters made Beacon Hills safer for everyone. It also made relations between wolves and humans lighter as in they could all be in the same place without a fight breaking out.

There was even an annual festival with food and music that humans and wolves alike attended and by the end of the night—thanks in part to alcohol—you’d never know there were such stark differences. Unless one of the humans turned out to be a mean drunk.

But Beacon Hills was a special case or at least he assumed. On his travels with Paige he’d seen how sheltered both sides could be though his last name often helped. The Hales were known for being fair and for having humans as part of their Pack and family tree. While everyone didn’t understand why the eventual Alpha would want a human for a wife they seemed to respect his decision to break away from tradition. He couldn’t help but wonder if word of his broken engagement (such as it was, anyway) had reached other lands by now.

He’d know for sure when potential “brides” started showing up at his door.

With his hands shoved into the pockets of his simple black breeches he continued down the winding leaf covered path through the forest. Fall was slowly slinking away towards winter and he was looking forward to it. He liked to run in the snow, to feel it tickling his nose and settling lightly amidst his fur. In all honesty he just enjoyed winter more than the other seasons though he remembered stories about how hard it used to be for hunting or whatever. Until stores and trading outlets and taverns finally got on their feet.

It was remarkable the way the world had slowly refashioned itself after battling the Nogitsune and then other supernaturals for so long. Really they should all be living in caves without the ability to function. 

“I know you’re back there Scott.”

“Heh…hey.” Scott appeared contrite as he edged out from behind a large tree and slowly came forward. “I was going to say something but you seemed deep in thought.”

Derek arched a brow. “Why didn’t you just catch me before I left if you wanted to come along?”

Scott shrugged. “I didn’t know if you would be okay with it. Thought you might have needed some alone time.”

Derek snorted. “Because of my broken heart that I don’t really seem to broken up about?”

Scott flushed red and immediately began to stutter. “What? N—no! I—I mean—I just meant you seemed okay. Are you okay? W—we can talk about it if you want?”

_No thank you._ “I’m fine, Scott. Besides it’s not a secret and people are welcomed to talk about it if they want though I don’t see why they would. It’s…boring.”

Scott fell in step beside him. “Not really. Plus you know how gossip is and how it spreads. People get this idea of who you are in their head and when you change, they can’t handle it. Or they search for reasons as to why.”

Derek hummed. “Is this about me or you?”

Scott smiled a little. “Both probably. I’ve been a werewolf for almost a year and yeah I know it’s different but I’m still me. Mom and Stiles realize that but other people—those I’ve known for years—don’t seem to get it. Hell my own dad doesn’t get it. Makes me glad he lives in Lena and I only see him in the spring.” Perking up again, he stared forward. “Anyway I thought I would go with you and check in on Stiles. I wish he wasn’t um…unnerved by you guys so that both parts of my life could be more integrated. Not like he’d be in danger at your house.”

“He’s coming around,” Derek said. “Everyone moves at their own pace.”

“Yeah.” Scott pouted. “I just—I don’t know. Should I be offended he seems to have taken to the Hunters more easily? I mean I get it because his dad is the Sheriff and he did have that horrible run in with that Omega but that was ages ago. We were little kids and no other wolves have ever been that scary.”

“I think Stiles needs a purpose more than anything. Contributing to the effort to keep the borders clear makes him feel like he’s actively helping.” _If manning the listeners actually does that._ “And some would consider Hunters less dangerous though I’d beg to differ. They’re just a different type of dangerous.”

“Allison and Chris aren’t,” Scott replied helpfully. “Speaking of…do you _really_ stare at her ears like they’ve offended you?”

Derek smirked inwardly. “Not to my knowledge. I _notice_ them just like they would notice red or yellow eyes. Or blue in my case. They just make me wonder how ruthless were the ancient Argents for their entire bloodline to be marked in such a way.”

Scott made a face. “You can’t trust the Nogitsune side of things because he tried to destroy the world and he’s not a reliable narrator. Maybe they were pivotal in stopping him so he cursed them out of spite. He was a Trickster. Either way Allison and Chris have did nothing to make me dislike them so…yeah. Cut her some slack.”

It was a simplistic view but Derek was not the type of person to let his guard down, not without good cause. He didn’t have the luxury Scott did to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, not now that Laura was gone and he was next in line to become Alpha. He had to be vigilant even though he was pretty sure the two Argents he had dealings with were good people. But even good people could go bad.

The closer they got to the village the more anxiously excited Scott became and it made Derek wonder just how long it had actually been since he’d seen Stiles. The full moon didn’t affect him as much as it had in the early days but perhaps he did just like helping the younger wolves control their shifts. Goofiness aside Scott was a bit of a leader and he had the biggest heart of anyone Derek knew. Maybe one day he’d even grow to be a good second for someone.

Maybe.

Once they broke through the tree line and crossed the grassy fields, the _Beacon Hills Village_ sign came into view. Derek watched as Scott loped off towards Stiles’ house, waving happily to the people he passed on the way as they noticed him. It was sort of remarkable that through it all Scott had somehow maintained his optimistic outlook on life. Anyone else would have cursed their luck, well those that weren’t obsessed with the Bite of course.

Rolling his shoulders he turned towards the Argents home but the smell of metal and gardenias caught his attention, pulling him to a cluster of high bushes and jagged half formed building foundations that sat off to themselves. It was well out of the way from houses and farm animals and once he was a bit closer he noticed why; someone had set up several bulls eye targets. Standing in the middle with a black blindfold over her eyes was Allison, bow raised with an arrow ready to go.

Derek watched as she exhaled deeply, planted her feet and then released a series of rapid shots one after the other, striking several different targets all in the middle. He was just about to comment on it when two men sprung up from out of the bushes and rushed her from the left and the right. They lunged at the same time and she jerked backwards thus beginning a rather beautiful dance where they would throw punches and she would skillfully evade them.

It was obvious she hadn’t been formally trained but there was a raw power to her movements; when she blocked a hit with her bow and used it as a weapon. When she skidded to the side and kicked the man on the left in his stomach to send him crashing to the ground. When she wrestled away from the man on the right and sprinted towards a target, grabbing an arrow and sliding it flawlessly into place. Both men stopped in their tracks and Derek squinted, folding his arms across his chest.

Allison’s head turned minutely in his direction and she pulled off the blindfold, blinking against the bright sun. “Oh. Hey guys that was great. Why don’t you go see if Danny needs any help with the forge?” They nodded and headed off. “Derek. What are you doing here?”

“Came to have a word,” he said idly. “Is that a daily thing for you? The…training.”

“Somewhat.” She collected her arrows. “Thought I would get in as much as I could since I don’t know what Sacred Ni will be like. I might have to rely on my other senses and not just sight.”

“Smart.” He migrated closer. “Anyway look my mom and I were talking and we decided the one who should go with you to Sacred Ni is me. I’m familiar with the area and unlike the other Betas I’m…tested.”

Her back was to him but he saw her pause a moment, arrow dangling uselessly in between her slender fingers. “That’s unexpected. Deucalion must be very important for your mom to send you.”

Derek hummed. “He’s a good guy for the most part but it’s less about him and more about you. I volunteered because if something happens to you on this mission, your dad would see it as our fault.”

Allison turned to face him. “So you’re saying you think if I get hurt my dad will automatically blame the wolves and declare war on them? I’m just curious; have you been living under a rock for the past few years or are you being willfully obtuse?” She rolled her eyes. “First of all my father has faith in my abilities not only as a fighter but as a person. Second of all it’s _my_ choice to help you at all and _if_ worse comes to worse he’d never blame any ally without just cause. Such as a trap. If I died he’d go after the rightful party, not you.”

Derek would probably never admit it out loud but he’d always admired Allison’s fire. “I meant no disrespect.”

She snorted. “Really? Because everything you just hinted at was totally disrespectful. If you really have such lack of faith in my abilities then I’d rather you _didn’t_ come with me to Sacred Ni. What about Boyd? I like Boyd.”

Derek’s face twitched. “Boyd would be my next choice but he’s busy. Besides contrary to the apparently horrible way I prefaced things, I actually _want_ to accompany you on this journey. I know that’s hard to believe but it’s the truth. And I think you know deep down I’d be the best bet to this actually being seen through. I know the area and I’m strong. The only person stronger is the Alpha.”

Allison sighed heavily but it was clear she knew he spoke the truth. “Fine. When do you want to leave?”

He decided to not be an asshole for once. “Whenever is most convenient for you works for me. I know you guys work hard to protect the borders and I wouldn’t want to put any of that into jeopardy. Finding Deucalion is important but so is keeping Beacon Hills safe.”

“What sort of terrain are we going to be covering? What should I bring?” Idly she tapped an arrow against her leg. “And how long will it take us to get to Sacred Ni?”

“About two days since there is no snow or storm on the horizon. I’d say just bring something warm and your weapons and it’ll be okay.” He told her. “Weapons are more important than having the right coat especially since we don’t know what we’ll run into. Beacon Hills is pretty singular in that we all sort of coexist together. It’s not this cozy in other places.”

“Yeah I figured.” Allison muttered. “Beyond the borders are the Wastelands; I’ve heard about them from other Hunters who travel a lot. You have your wolf places and your human places and then everything in between. I won’t take offence if someone wants to punch me because my eyes don’t glow.”

It was more or less a joke but unfortunately Derek knew some supernaturals did feel that way about humans. “No one will be punching you or doing anything else to you while I’m around.”

Allison’s big dark brown eyes skirted across his face before ultimately turning to the scenery around them. “Thanks…I guess.”

Derek could hear his mother’s words rattling around in his brain about how important trust was, and with the expression Allison currently had—total disbelief that he’d protect her in anyway—he felt compelled to perhaps actually attempt to build some. “Look I—”

A low whistle caught both of their attention and Derek’s face immediately morphed into a deep frown as Kate all but strutted towards them. Most Hunters had a small sense of cockiness if they’d survived something huge but Kate was downright arrogant because she woke up in the morning. It was written all over her face and the way she carried herself, along with the simmering disdain she had for werewolves that she could never completely hide nor probably wanted to.

The interesting bit however was Allison’s fingers and their new death grip on the shaft of her arrow. She didn’t look pleased to see her Aunt and it made Derek wonder about their family dynamic behind closed doors. It was nice to think they didn’t get along with Kate because she jumped from one extreme to the next.

“Derek Hale, I _thought_ that was you.” Kate’s grin was sharp. “Looking just as delicious as ever. What brings you all the way out here?”

“Nothing you need to be concerned about.”

Kate chuckled. “Oh? So you’re just paying my niece a social visit then?” She poked Allison in the shoulder with a bony finger. “I didn’t know you and Derek were that close. I mean I get he’s very nice to look at but sweetie, Hunters and werewolves fucking has never been taken kindly. You know what they say about laying down with dogs…”

Allison rolled her eyes. “Our relationship is none of your business. Shouldn’t you be doing something constructive instead of bothering us?”

Kate’s eyebrow twitched at Allison’s non-denial of her accusation. “Your _relationship_ huh? Well I suppose it takes all sorts but I think you’d be the first _Argent_ to get down and dirty with something we used to hunt. Better than a Wendigo though. At least when Derek eats you I’ll bet it’s fun.”

Allison’s cheeks turned bright red and her nostrils flared with embarrassed anger. And yet underneath Derek could detect a hint of arousal weave itself into her natural scent.

“We can talk later.” He directed his words to Allison. “When we won’t be interrupted.”

She nodded, not looking at him and Kate outright laughed. “How’s Paige?” Kate asked as he turned to walk away. “Oh wait that’s right word around the camp fire is that you two aren’t together anymore. Guess she got tired of waking up with fur in her bed.”

Before he could stop himself he’d snapped at her, bright blue eyes and all. “Fuck you.”

Kate smirked at getting under his skin. “Ooh did I hit a nerve, sweetness? Must have for you to flash those pretty baby blues at me. I’ve always wondered why your sister has gold eyes but you have blue. Something tells me Allison and Chris know but they’re keeping it a secret for some reason.” She pouted. “I wonder does Paige know. I’m on pretty good terms with Mrs. Krasikeva; maybe I’ll stop by their cottage and see how they are doing. Must be such a relief to not have to pretend to give a shit about some mangy mutt insistent on humping their daughter’s leg. But if you ever need a release I have a leather collar and handcuffs.”

“Kate, shut the fuck up.” Allison stepped between them, her outburst actually stunning Kate into silence. “No one cares for your opinion, okay? Hey I have an idea…why don’t you go clear the pits? Maybe you’ll have more fun trying your shtick on the corpses.”

“What? Hell no I’m not doing that. It’s not my turn.”

“Tough. You can either do that or deal with the cow carcasses in the field.”

For a moment it seemed as if Kate would argue or perhaps lash out. But instead she glared daggers at her niece and then stormed off cursing under her breath.

Derek had to admit he was impressed and a bit shocked. Impressed Allison could handle someone like Kate and shocked Kate had honestly followed orders. “I’m not one to usually say this but that was pretty great.”

Allison grinned and shrugged. “She’s not just like that with you. I don’t think she has one friend here and it really feels like she doesn’t care. Or she’s hiding it well.”

_It’s probably the former considering she’s a damn psycho._ “Either way thank you for sticking up for me.”

Her ears went pink and he hated that it was adorable. “You’re welcome. Anyway I don’t trust talking about Scared Ni with her lurking about so why don’t we just meet somewhere and go? I can talk to my dad and then…meet you at the white oak bridge this afternoon.”

_Sounds like the safest option._ “Alright. Just make sure you’re not followed.” She snorted and he headed back towards the woods, figuring Scott would return to Hale Manor if and when he wanted to.

∆ 

Being punctual wasn’t one of his virtues but Derek arrived at the white oak bridge an hour before he needed to with his pack slung onto his back. He’d brought a bit of food, a bedroll and extra clothes just in case he needed to change for some reason. No weapons for obvious reasons; besides he’d never been very good with them anyway.

The bridge itself wasn’t huge but it stretched across a grassy bit of terrain connecting one side of the land to the other, and underneath was a knee deep stream that darted around the corner and out of sight. He could remember coming out here with his siblings and balancing on the railings before they got too old, laughing and seeing who would fall off first. Out of his sisters he’d been closest to Laura so her death had hit him exceptionally hard. Never mind the fact that _she_ was supposed to be the next Alpha not him. She’d been bred for it all of her life and had always looked out for him, being the eldest and all. Derek could be responsible but being Alpha? Well while it sounded exciting it was actually sort of terrifying as well.

Not to mention he’d never be the Alpha his mother was no matter how hard he tried.

Of course she would tell him that was okay and that he should just do his best. Which was good advice but rather hollow when you had an entire Pack looking to you for guidance and protection. However he knew he’d do a damn sight better than his Uncle Peter. For one he was pretty sure he wouldn’t start a war with the humans.

It felt odd to be traveling without another wolf or without someone he was more comfortable with. As he gazed off through the woods and listened to the sounds of birds in the trees, he said a small prayer to the spirits in the hopes for a safe journey. He wasn’t religious but what was the harm, right? Hopefully he and Allison would find Deucalion in one piece and then return home all within a short time span. He didn’t want to be alone with her any longer than he had to be.

_That makes me sound like such a lecherous asshole._

_Or just a regular asshole I suppose._

To explain his _problem_ with Allison—although there wasn’t one, exactly—he would have to go back a few years to when she was fifteen and the treaty was first put into place. Suffice it to say due to her pointy ears and Peter’s whisperings he hadn’t made a very good first impression to the Argents and hadn’t given a shit. All that changed on a full mooned night two months later…

A twig snapped and he turned just in time to see Allison duck from under a thick bushel of branches with a leather brown backpack dangling from her left hand. In her right was a long gray dagger with a circle at the end of the hilt which she’d threaded her finger through. Swinging around her neck was a medallion he’d never seen her without and one he knew to be a family heirloom.

“Am I late?” She inquired, boots thumping on the mossy wood. “I changed my path twice just in case Kate got any ideas. She’s a good Hunter but a shit tracker.”

Derek shook his head. “No I was probably early. Did you say goodbye to your dad?”

She nodded. “We talked before I left and he wished me a safe journey. And Stiles wants you to know if anything happens to me he’ll _make you pay_ so…I’m sure that has you shook.”

He rolled his eyes and then noticed the curved bow on her back with the delicate carving etched into the oddly colored blue wood. “That’s not the one you usually use, is it?”

With a careless flourish Allison swung it forward so that he could get a better look. “No. This belonged to the first of the Argent line. My dad gave it to me after my first successful solo run and I’ve honestly never had a reason to really bring it out. But since we’re going to be leaving the area I thought I would stretch her legs.”

Derek arched a brow. “Are you sure that’s wise? What if you can’t handle it like your others?”

“I said I’d never taken it out not that I’d never used it before. Archery is what I do, Derek. I could shoot a bow and arrow in my sleep,” she explained with just a _hint_ of bite. “So are we going to be leaving or just standing here talking until nightfall? I suggest the former.”

_Smartass_. “Let’s go.”

Together they crossed the bridge and headed deeper into the woods, where the tree trunks were huge and the tree tops so tall they blocked out the sun. 

They’d been walking in silence for about thirty minutes when Derek felt compelled to ask, “Why didn’t you bring your horse?” He could hear his mother’s voice reminding him to be _nice_ while also demanding he be safe.

Allison blinked at him. “Couldn’t guarantee he’d be safe wherever we are going. Thought it best to leave him behind and just go it on foot. Stiles is going to keep him distracted while I’m gone so that he doesn’t come looking for me.”

Derek kept his eyes on the barely there path before them. “If you get tired I’m not carrying you.”

That made her laugh and he was pretty sure it was _at_ him. “I’m used to running miles for my life night after night—I think I’ll be okay on a leisurely stroll.”

_Okay I deserve that._ “Good point. Okay look I fucking hate small talk but spending the next two days or whatever in utter silence is going to drive me insane. So let’s try to have a normal conversation.”

Allison blinked at him again. “Um alright. What do you want to talk about?”

“Tell me about your runs. I’m told they are impressive.”

Pulling at her white knit cap, she shrugged. “I guess? It feels—the adrenaline is amazing and I shouldn’t say that because it’s kinda stupid but it is. I just go out and basically get some Wendigos to chase me back to an area where we’ve set up traps to kill them. It would probably be easier to take out one or two near their caves but they breed so fast and cause so much destruction that getting as many as you can at one time makes more sense.” A beat. “I’ve had a few close calls but I’m still kicking.”

“Why did your dad decide on runs?” He inquired. “I mean besides the obvious I suppose.”

“Dad’s a great strategist and he looked at the new makeup of the land on several maps, pinpointed their nests and said if we used bait we could get them from point A to point B. And hence _the Run_ was born. Now it’s almost like a rite of passage to have a successful one but really it’s to kill Wendigos.” She sighed. “I do them because I do like the danger but for some strange reason I’m also _good_ at them.”

“Why do you consider that strange?” Derek asked. “It doesn’t sound strange. You’ve just trained your body to operate at a certain level it’s now used to.”

“On my first run it was probably the darkest damn night of the year and I was terrified even though there were others with me. Somehow I ended up separated from the group because, naturally, and this old Wendigo happened to run across me. He looked like fifty or whatever. So…I _ran_. No moon to light my way, just a flickering torch that I eventually had to ditch because the Wendigo could see it and follow me.” Frowning, Allison tightened her gauntlets. “I should have ran into a tree and knocked myself out but it—it was like the forest was _helping_ me. Bending out of my way or something. I don’t know it all sounds ridiculous but I survived and after that I wasn’t as afraid.”

Derek was reluctant to reply but he said, “Maybe it was a forest spirit. If you believe in that sort of thing.”

She smiled. “I do. I believe in a lot considering everything I have seen. If it was a forest spirit I’m glad he or she was looking out for me that night. Anyway besides the runs I help train others with fighting and weapons. Send scouting parties out and check into complaints when they are warranted. If my dad is handling that then I hang out with Stiles and Lydia…and Scott when he shows up. Try to remember that I’m eighteen and I’m not forty eight.”

_This is the longest conversation we have ever had and it’s not terrible._ “Do you wish you didn’t have so much responsibility?

Allison turned her body towards his so that she was walking sideways. “What is a day for _you_ like? Or do you just want to ask me question after question until we get to Sacred Ni? Are you even really interested?”

Derek exhaled and dragged a hand across the back of his head; he’d never been that good talking about himself to people he was on shaky ground with. “Unlike you my days are spent helping my mother and learning what it’ll mean to be an Alpha. Then I help the young ones with transitions or whatever else they need. And…to answer your last question yes I am interested. I don’t know anything about you, not really.”

“Well whose fault is that?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well Derek you go out of your way to avoid me and have been doing so since I was fifteen. It’s obvious _getting to know me_ wasn’t on your to do list before now. And that’s out of necessity.”

“Not like we had anything in common so there was no reason for me to get to know you.”

“That and my ears, right?”

“No.”

“You know once I walked past Peter in the market and he said—and I am quoting here—I wish I could cut those pointed things off and make a necklace out of them. Clearly they offend for some reason, more so than the arrows.”

“We were taught any Hunter with that mark was the _most_ dangerous to our kind and should be avoided at all cost. Yeah now we know differently but it’s still there in the back of our minds. Well I don’t know what the hell is in Peter’s mind but you get what I mean.”

Allison jerked when her jacket caught on a briar and worked to free it. “And Gerard taught nothing with eyes that glow could be trusted. Should be put down immediately without question or conversation. Yet somehow Boyd and Erica find time go swimming with Stiles, Lydia and me in the summer. Satomi was tortured by humans and spent years hating them but she accepted Mason when Brett brought him home…” Seemingly done with that train of thought, she hooked her bag onto her belt so that her left hand was free. “Whatever. Anyway what are we doing for nightfall? We should be in the Wastelands by then and I don’t know if there are any inns in the area. I brought Mountain Ash if we are camping out so that we’ll be protected. I know that will trap you in but…”

Derek let the conversation die. “Camp. And it’s fine. Not like I plan to run away while you’re asleep.”

Obviously she appeared a little dubious as to the honesty of that statement. He understood but no he’d never abandoned her. Returning with her was more important than finding out what happened to Deucalion. Surprisingly though she wasn’t nervous, at least there was no anxiousness to her scent and while she’d been talking her heart hadn’t blipped once. It put him at ease to know she hadn’t lied or exaggerated for whatever reason when answering his questions.

Lies came so easily to some people.

The deeper they trekked the more Allison began to look around, sometimes stopping to touch a plant or admire a cluster of brightly colored flowers. “Have you not been out this way before?” Derek questioned gently.

The apples of her cheeks slowly went pink. “No. The nests are in the other direction. I’ve been to the bridge of course and a little ways this way but not this far. It always looked so dense and kind of ominous.” Idly she plucked up a big white flower and gave it a sniff. “But I’m guessing you _have_ been out this way? You’ve probably been all over haven’t you…”

Derek had been to quite a few places. “It’s important for our Pack to branch out and talk to other Packs, keep up to date with what’s going on in the world and stuff so yeah I travel. As my mother’s second I often accompany her when she goes somewhere as a bodyguard—not that she needs one—and just to learn who are allies are. Plus my wolf likes to roam and explore.”

Allison chuckled. “I’ll bet.”

And then he was remembering something Kate had brought up. “ _Do_ you know why Cora has gold eyes and I have blue?”

Allison bit her lip. “Conversation whiplash but alright. Yes I do. It was once thought that the color of a werewolf’s eyes had something to do with whether they’d ever taken an innocent life or not, but that was proven to be a lie. Eye color actually has more to do with a power level than anything else. Wolves with blue eyes have a greater chance of becoming the next Alpha in their Pack, and blue eyes are not as common as some would think.” She shook her flower at him. “And having blue eyes is not a precursor to being Alpha but depending on Pack dynamic it helps. Ultimately the _Alpha_ decides who will succeed them unless their power is stolen.”

Derek smirked. “Did my mother tell you this?”

She stepped over a fallen log. “No there is actually a whole chapter on it in our Bestiary, which Kate doesn’t know exists. I shudder to think what she would do if she did.”

Derek could only imagine the horror she would unleash. “I’m surprised Gerard wouldn’t tell her everything, make her a more affective Hunter.”

“I—well I seriously think he thought he would live forever so he figured he had time to inform her. But then again Kate was always the bashing type, not the studying type. Who cares about eye color when a sharp sword will take down anything?” A pause. “In any case Gerard died and my dad thought I would make a better choice for leader than she would. She however never fails to remind me that nothing I do would please Gerard. That’s how I know I’m doing it right.”

In all honesty Derek had expected more resentment from Allison after the way he’d behaved towards her in the past, but he supposed that was just him misjudging her once again. Or perhaps she was just better at being civil than he was.

“I…hear you haven’t been doing solo runs that long.”

“About two months. Dad wanted me to be eighteen before I went out alone.”

“Was there a ceremony?” 

“Heh well if you call being blindfolded, taken across the border and into Wendigo territory a ceremony then sure.” She said it like it was a walk to the river and back. “My dad has been extra hard on me with the training because I’m his daughter and our leader so he wants me at my best. And he wants me alive. Sometimes it’s been unbearable but I understand his logic so I try not to complain. I’d rather be thoroughly trained than not.”

Talia would never do something so drastic to any of her children but in an odd way he too understood. Werewolves had senses humans could never even hope to achieve. They had to force their bodies to react a certain way when to supernaturals that sort of thing came more naturally. Even new wolves such as Scott had once had more issues _not_ using their heightened senses than trying to trigger then.

Allison’s soft _whoa_ snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned to the large metal skeleton of what used to be some type of ship. It was gigantic and covered by thick brown roots, tilted precariously onto its side as if one strong gust of wind would knock it over. However it had been listing for decades and was now the home to several forest creatures. 

“It’s beautiful.” Allison whispered. “It’s strange to remember we once had the capacity to build things like this until the Nogitsune changed things forever. Who knows what’s underneath us right now? Could be more ships. Will we see more things like this?”

_Without a doubt._ “Yes. The earthquakes of old caused massive tidal flooding and sent things like those crashing into buildings, or so I was told. But yeah there are some interesting ruins along our path.”

She smiled and a dimple appeared in each cheek. “Maybe I’ll have time to do some sketches. Not stand there and sketch but look long enough so that the image is burned into my brain. Wouldn’t it be neat if there was some kind of device that like…captured what you were seeing?”

Derek chuckled. “I think that used to be called a camera. Haven’t you ever seen old photographs before?”

Her smiled dimmed but didn’t go out entirely. “Yeah but they were extremely faded and cracked. Brown or gray; not like what you see with your eyes. Even my sketches probably won’t do this justice. Man I wish I could _find_ a working camera.”

With a wistful sigh she took one last look at the ship and then they were moving on.

∆ 

It was clear the Mountain Ash made Derek twitchy but Allison thought he was handling it quite well. Well if stalking the circle it made around their camp like a caged animal was handling it. At least he wasn’t hitting against the barrier.

After walking for what she guessed to be two or three miles the day slipped into dusk with the sun dropping lower and lower in the sky. Soon it was gone altogether and the atmosphere of the forest changed—even she could feel it. No more birds chirping or insects flying about; just an odd sense that the rustling in the bushes wasn’t friendly. Still they continued until something menacingly howled in the distance, then Derek suggested they make camp for the night.

So far their journey hadn’t been the awkward mess she’d assumed it would be though there had been a few awkward moments. When Derek had expressed his desire to go with her she’d been bowled over with shock and immediately knew it was a bad idea. Derek could barely tolerate her so why was he putting himself in the situation to spend time with her, alone? While his words about being the best were true it wasn’t like Boyd was a push over. Plus he was way more personable.

But things were mellow and she appreciated that. Still surprised Derek had wanted to know about her life though especially when he’d never cared in the past. _The long silence without conversation would have been horrible though so I guess that’s what it was._

Their campsite was in the middle of a knot of trees with a small fire burning in the center. Instead of bothering to hunt for dinner they’d both ate some of what they’d packed, and Allison resolved to just _not_ need to use the bathroom until morning. She didn’t want to break the circle.

Sitting on her bedroll with a few sheets of paper spread around her, she discreetly sketched the imposing figure Derek made as he paced. She had other drawings of him, ones people would never see because they were hidden away in a secret place. His profile was gorgeous and the flames were dancing across his face, casting that odd sheen to his eyes like you saw with cats and dogs. He looked sedate but she could tell his mind was working a mile a minute. About what however she didn’t know.

This whole _thing_ wasn’t ideal but she was going to make the best of it. Maybe it would even lead to a better relationship with Derek.

Maybe.

_And maybe being alone with him isn’t_ that _bad. He hasn’t glared at you once._

And of course it would be a lie to say she wasn’t a little, maybe not _happy_ but content to have Derek to herself for a while. They never spent any time together, not like she did with other members of the Pack. Yes that was because Derek wasn’t fond of her but her side of the story was different. She wouldn’t say she liked him but there was a spark for him inside of her that she couldn’t explain, and it had nothing to do with his looks. They played into it of course but there was more, so much more.

Something she couldn’t put a name to.

Amused by her own thoughts, she hummed and cracked her knuckles. “If you want to stretch your legs I’ll break it for you.”

Derek rolled his shoulders. “No I’m fine. It doesn’t bother me I just…I don’t like the idea of being trapped.”

Allison understood that. “But you’re not trapped. This is for our protection and Mountain Ash isn’t something that everyone can get their hands on. And even if they do only certain people can use it.”

Derek all but forced himself to sit on his bedroll. “It could still be a type of leash. For you it’s protection because you can’t _feel_ it blocking us in. Well me in. You can cross it anytime you want.”

Allison put her pencil and paper aside. “Derek your eyes are glowing blue. If you are that agitated by the barrier I’ll break it. We’ll just take turns keeping watch. I don’t mind.”

Exhaling deeply, he pulled back on the beast inside and shook his head. “You’re being way too accommodating and I am being…a jerk. The things out there could rip you a part so no, the barrier stays. I’ll get used to it in a moment.”

_I probably shouldn’t bring this up but…_ “What did you do with Paige? I mean when you’d travel…”

One of his dark eyebrows lifted. “We would usually leave at sun up and be where we were going by dark. Her family was reachable easier than Deucalion. However if darkness managed to beat us we’d keep going until we reached an inn. And usually there would be more wolves.”

Grabbing the soft fur from her bag she wrapped it around her shoulders. “More wolves could have come with us. I wouldn’t have minded.”

“This is more of a secret mission. Mom didn’t want everyone to know what we were up to.”

“Why? Is there something about Deucalion I should know about?” Allison watched as he threw several more sticks into the fire. “Does he hold a special position or are his lands important to your mother?”

“No Deucalion is just a normal Alpha if idealistic about the world. But he—well he and my mother sort of grew up together and he holds something that connects him to Beacon Hills and all supernaturals. My mom wants me to make sure he is okay and check on the item he holds.” Derek met her gaze. “I’ll show it to you when we reach him. If it still exists.”

_Cryptic but okay._ “Alright. It’s not going to erase my memory or anything right?”

Derek snorted. “No, Allison. It’s…a part of Hale history I guess you could say. Necessity brings me to share it with you. That and…you seem trustworthy.”

Allison laughed. “Don’t let that sentence strain you or anything. But fair enough I suppose. You know when you become Alpha you’ll have to deal with me a lot more. Might want to get used to it.”

Derek tapped his fingers on the chilly ground. “Change is inevitable, right? That is what I have heard anyway.”

A part of her was downright _dying_ to ask about Paige but she felt she didn’t have the right. Like most or perhaps it was just _her_ she had been on the outside of their relationship, looking in. Seeing them hand in hand in the market or hearing stories from Scott how Derek was busy having a picnic with Paige. They’d always seemed very adorable in a very normal way, very much in love. Something that had kind of irked Allison but she was loathe to call it jealously. And if it were in fact jealously was it of Paige or more general because they both had someone while she didn’t?

Not that she _couldn’t_ have had someone of course. Quite a few of the Hunters and even Scott had expressed interest once upon a time but she’d never returned their attention, not in a romantic way anyway.

Perhaps she’d been too busy trying to help keep the world safe.

_Likely excuse as any I suppose._ “Change can be good. It’s all in how you look at it...and if no one is in danger of committing murder or being murdered.”

Derek’s lips twitch as if he wanted to smile but couldn’t manage it. “We’ll see then. Considering what’s out there I’m not holding my breath for good things.”

“Pessimist. Hm I’m not tired but I think we should get some rest so we can get an early start in the morning. It’s—”

Shrieking stole whatever else she was going to say. A loud, piercing sort of shriek almost like an animal being painfully slaughtered except it was growing closer and closer. And then they emerged out of the darkness like ghosts; tall and skinny and terrifying with three glowing red eyes in the middle of their deformed foreheads and long jagged claws like the blade of a serrated knife. Their skin was shiny black and nearly translucent, their mouths filled with nothing but rows of sharp teeth.

They barreled into the barrier at top speed only to be thrown back a few yards upon impact; the sound like thunder echoing in the distance. 

Derek was up and in front of Allison in seconds, eyes glowing and fangs bared. Allison jumped up with a dagger in each hand. “Skrig! Holy shit I’ve never seen one in the flesh before,” she breathed. “They lay their eggs in the hollowed out bodies of their victims.”

“They can’t cross the Mountain Ash.” Derek growled. “Guess it was a good thing you brought it after all.”

“Guess so.” She laughed nervously, wincing when they rushed the mystical wall once again. “Are they going to do that all night?”

“No they are smart creatures. Something else will come along—some wild boar or whatever—and they’ll take off behind it.” Derek explained as he shifted back to normal. “All they care about is the meat, not where it comes from.”

Allison found that only slightly comforting. “Legend has it Skrig were once human but instead of fighting the Nogitsune they began to worship it as a God. The Nogitsune promised them immense power in exchange for their souls but instead tricked them and turned them into the monsters we see before us.”

The tension in Derek’s shoulders lessened just a bit. “If they were dumb enough to believe anything the Nogitsune said, they deserve whatever fate they got.”

Easing back to her bedroll with her eyes still on the hammering Skrig, she reached for her knit cap and slipped it on. “By the end of this that might be true of us all. Unfortunately.”


	3. Sacramento

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well the kudos are rolling in so you guys must be enjoying this fic which is good enough for me to keep working on it lol. So thank you and stay tuned. :)

Chapter Three: Sacramento

Allison was shaken awake a few minutes after the sun was up and although she’d gotten a decent amount of sleep she still felt tired. She reasoned it was because she’d never had to sleep on the ground before—or a thin bedroll on the ground—and because of the chill after the fire went out. It had been a bit harrowing to stir in the middle of the night to nothing but sparsely glowing embers and surrounding darkness, but at least the Skrig hadn’t stuck around for long. After it was clear they wouldn’t be making a meal of her and Derek they’d loped off into the woods and hadn’t returned.

Apparently they only came out after sundown so they were no danger during the day. At least not from _those_ particular creatures, but the world was a big place and there was no telling what lived in the shadows anymore. Probably species they’d never even encountered before.

Anyway they ate in silence before packing up to continue on to Sacred Ni. Allison found the scenery to be gorgeous, especially when dotted with the remnants of the previous world. They’d went for miles with nothing but dense green forest and sloping hills and then boom, suddenly there was a giant metal thing with cracked wings sticking out of the ground almost as if it had been jammed in. Rusted with blown out windows and faded letters on the side she could barely make out. Elta Lines.

“The Archives probably have names for all of these things,” she said looking up at the gnarled structure. “Technically I should know them all but I never paid much attention in school. It just seemed silly considering I would be spending my time hunting things. I mean I’m not an idiot but you can’t expect me to remember _every single name_ of something that hasn’t been around in decades upon decades.”

“Air plane.” Derek mused and then laughed at the look she gave him. “I’m older and have a better memory than you do.”

“Ah yes the elusive wolves are a lot older than they look thing.” She kneeled down and touched at the ground around the _air plane_ , wondering how deeply it went. Had it crashed and if so, what of the people inside? If they managed to get in would they find numerous skeletons still in their seats? _That’s a very depressing thought._ “What do you know about that time? Right when things took a turn for the worst.”

Derek glanced off into the distance. “I wasn’t there of course but I’ve heard the stories, probably the same ones you’ve heard. But they were dark days and the evil spread so quickly. At first it was just severe riots with people turning against each other—all the Nogitsune’s idea of fun. And then came the storms and the great war which eventually led to where we are now. If you mean more specific things I can say that I’m sure if this plane was in the air when the Nogitsune started to play, it wasn’t for very long.” Gently he placed a hand to the cool metal. “The Nogitsune’s power caused a deadly ripple that spread across the world like fog, poisoning everything it touched. Striking down modern inventions and outing all supernaturals.”

Allison had heard a similar story from her father and although she saw the proof before her very eyes often enough, it still tended to read like a fairytale. Or perhaps a nightmare. “I can’t imagine the terror that people must have felt back then. If something screwed up crawls out of the ground we freak out but then we immediately set about figuring out how to kill it. They on the other hand had never dealt with anything like that before.”

Derek started to walk off and after a moment she followed him. “From what I’ve been told they tried to use their weapons but naturally they did fuck all against an evil trickster. And once he got in their heads those same weapons—once meant to protect—just caused even more destruction. Especially the massive ones that could reach across the Earth with the push of a button.”

 _Those_ she remembered from her lessons. “The bombs.”

Derek nodded. “Yes. They helped shatter the world just as much as the Nogitsune did. We were lucky their taint disappeared when the beast was driven back otherwise I’m not sure anything living could have survived.”

In truth sometimes Allison wondered if that hadn’t been preferable to some. While she lived in a nice house surrounded by people she cared about, not everyone could boast the same. Others were homeless or being forced to do horrible things just to survive. Food wasn’t plentiful everywhere and neither was safety. “So do you think it’s better to be alive now than back then?”

“I do. Life might not be as easy as it was back then but at least we’re past the worst of it.” Derek replied. “At least we don’t have to deal with the Nogitsune.”

“There is a jinx if I’ve ever heard one.” Allison said lightly. “But I guess you are right. I like my life. I like that I haven’t come up against anything I couldn’t defeat. However it would make sense that one day that will change. Unfortunate as it may be.”

Derek looked back at her but he didn’t say anything so she let her mind wander just a bit. Being out beyond the borders with _Derek Hale_ was something she’d never dreamed of and yet here she was, traveling to some unknown place to check up on a wolf that may or may not like humans. She was actually sort of proud to be doing something so important—something other than running and burning. Hopefully this Deucalion was fine but if he wasn’t Talia would most likely want him avenged. If the Argents offered to help again it would just make their alliance much stronger.

_And knowing Derek and I can coexist without fighting gives me hope for the future._

Cautiously optimistic she watched her footing as Derek led her down a steep embankment, knee high leather boots slipping in the dark mud. A squirrel disturbed by the noise squeaked angrily at them before darting away. Allison was just about to make a joke when the smell of smoke slowly started to burn her nostrils. As they continued on the smell grew thicker—harsher—causing her eyes to water. 

“What is that?” She asked with a hand over her nose and mouth. “It doesn’t smell like any fire I’ve encountered.”

With a grunt Derek took off running; a blur lost to her eyes. She groaned but found herself in hot pursuit, scanning the bent stems and broken leaves of bushes so that she’d know what direction to go. Following the smell probably would have worked as well if it didn’t seem to be all around her, sinking into her clothes and hair. However just as she was starting to run in earnest she tumbled out of the brush and nearly into Derek’s broad back. He’d stopped right at the tree line—still as a statue—and seconds later she discovered why.

There was a village or rather there had _been_ a village but now it was nothing but smoldering ruins and ransacked cottages. A fire had ripped through the entire area and scorched everything in its path and what it hadn’t someone else had manually destroyed. Shades of the world before the wars were more prominent than in Beacon Hills and covered in mossy ivy. Large warped steel buildings that had been shoved into their sides or half buried into the earth sat far out in a field. There was a silver pond with a crooked boulder in the middle but it appeared out of place as if it had _put_ there instead of growing naturally.

Hanging from a post that had been sliced in half was a battered green sign declaring _Sacred Ni_.

Allison wet her lips and drew her daggers. “Let’s look for survivors.”

Carefully she and Derek moved into the town, eyes sharp and senses on high alert. Bodies were scattered everywhere, some mutilated and others brandishing black veins with some type of sludge staining their lips. Spying a half burnt man that had been cut in half made her swallow hard; only Hunters tended to perform a hemicorporectomy but only then on werewolves that had harmed humans. But this was too violent to have been after a trial.

Derek drifted away from her to check the left so she went right, tossing pieces of wood to the side so that she could peep under fallen roofs or check bodies that had been hidden for a pulse. She’d _never_ seen anything like this before. Even the children…

_I wish whoever had done this was still here so I could slit their throats._

_These people deserve a proper burial. I wonder if Derek would be okay with at least making a pyre for them?_

Smoothing her wrist across her forehead, Allison sighed and pushed herself to keep looking. To, not ignore the devastation but to focus on the task at hand. _Could Deucalion have had enemies so plentiful they could destroy his entire village? And over what? Riches? It doesn’t seem like he was a wealthy man._

 _One thing is for sure this was_ not _the work of Wendios_.

Allison shook her head and moved over to a barn that had been mostly caved in except for a tiny stall that once housed some type of animal. She couldn’t get inside but there was just enough room to see a prone figure amongst the hay, curled into the fetal position.

“Hello?” She called. “Can you hear me?” Stretching out on the ground she wiggled forward and reached inside, brushing soft fingertips over a warm shoulder. The person whimpered and Allison gasped. “You’re alive! Derek! Derek come quick!”

He was there in an instant. “What? What’s wrong?”

She looked up at him. “Someone is alive in there. I—I can’t get to them. I think they’re trapped.”

Derek wiggled his fingers and gripped the edge of the heavy wooden roof in his strong hands, planting his feet before lifting with a deep growl. Allison watched as he brought it up to chest level without so much as a tremble. “Pull whoever it is out. I got this.”

From the flexing of his muscles she could tell that was beyond true. “Hey it’s okay,” she said to the person still inside. “We’re here to help you. Just go limp, alright? You’re safe now.”

Allison got a good grip under their arms and very slowly she heaved backwards, knees and elbows scuffing in the dirt as she pulled inch by torturous inch until finally they were free. Derek let the roof go with a loud bang and immediately kneeled beside her. The _person_ was a heavily pregnant woman in a stained red dress but besides a few scrapes and bruises she appeared fine.

When she got a clearer look at Allison she lashed out at her—literally—cutting three gashes into the leather of her jacket with her claws. “Get away from me!”

“Kali! Kali it’s okay!” Derek shouted grabbing her biceps. “She’s not your enemy.”

 _Kali’s_ haunted gaze focused on him and Allison saw the moment she truly recognized him. “Derek? Oh god it’s really you.” With a sob she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

He rubbed her back. “My mother sent me when we hadn’t heard from you guys in a while. What in the fuck happened? Who did this to you?”

Kali turned wet brown eyes onto Allison. She was pretty even with her smooth brown skin smudged with soot and her black hair every which way. “Who is this?”

Derek sighed. “This is the friend that came with me to check on you. You can trust her I promise. I do.”

Exhaling, Kali nodded. “Right. Um, we were attacked by these _things_ in black cloaks that just started shooting up the place the moment they were in range. But with these odd darts that made people sick. Those they didn’t kill they dragged off.” A beat. “I hid and tried to keep quiet, and then the roof came down. I’ve been stuck ever since, I don’t even know how long I was under there. I—I just remember the sun rising and setting several times. Is—is everyone else dead?”

Derek’s face was passive. “We haven’t checked the entire village yet. There could be other survivors.”

“Are you hurt?” Allison inquired gently.

“I broke my ankle but it healed.” Kali replied. “The baby, it—it hasn’t moved since though.”

“May I?” Allison motioned towards her and Kali checked with Derek before nodding again. “A good friend of mine taught me a few tricks when it comes to stubborn babies that don’t wanna move.”

Offering up a small smile, Allison placed both hands on her rounded stomach and felt around the best she could for where she guessed the head was. And then she began to tap over and over again in a steady circle. It took a few minutes but eventually her other hand received a tiny kick and Kali’s face lit up. “How did you do that?”

“Repetition.” Allison told her. “The thumping makes them sort of flail. It doesn’t always work but I’m glad it did for you. You look ready to pop.”

Kali let out a shaky chuckle. “Just another week or so I think.” She held tight to Derek’s hands as he helped her stand. “We have to find the others. We have to make sure they are okay. Ennis tried to fight them off—what if they took him? What if he—he’s dead?”

Derek squeezed her shoulder. “If no one else is alive we’ll take you back with us. You’ll be safe in Beacon Hills.”

Kali frowned. “Would your mother be alright with another Alpha around?”

Allison tilted her head to the side. “You’re an Alpha? I…thought Deucalion was the Alpha?”

Derek hummed. “He is. Deucalion’s Pack council is made up of all Alphas so there are or were four in total.”

“How does that work?”

“Democratically I’d assume. While he respects the old ways he came to the conclusion that one wolf being able to govern all others wasn’t the way to do things, so he merged a few smaller Packs into one. He’s the strongest but he relies on Kali and the others to help him make decisions that hopefully benefit everyone.”

 _A Pack of Alphas…that’s new._ “Okay all caught up. Let’s see if we can find anyone else alive.”

While Kali could no doubt take care of herself under normal circumstances it was decided Derek would search with her while Allison went alone. It wasn’t like they would be miles apart but anything could be hiding right around the corner so she kept her wits about her as she trekked down a tiny hill were more wrecked houses and bodies lay. 

“Jesus…” she whispered, spying eviscerated cows and goats. “They even killed the livestock.”

Coming upon the corpse of a middle aged blonde woman, she ducked down and gently turned her over without touching her skin. Sticking out of her chest was a red dark which she yanked out and gave a cursory sniff. “Deaton should see this,” she said wrapping it in a piece of linen and shoving it into her pocket. “Maybe he can tell what it was laced with.”

Allison nibbled on her bottom lip and stared at the tracks disappearing off into the forest. They’d been on foot but moving quickly; they’d have to have been considering they blew through a werewolf village without getting slaughtered once they opened fire. Perhaps they were another type of supernatural hoping to claim the land for themselves. Though the dart suggested otherwise…and the sickness it caused. A radical group of Hunters was also not out of the question; tensions were still very high in certain parts of the world between humans and non humans. Imagining an entire group of people with Gerard or Kate’s mindset and it wasn’t hard to picture them wreaking this sort of havoc.

And enjoying it.

_We should have came sooner._

The sound of glass breaking in the direction Derek and Kali had ventured made her jerk and hurry their way, bow already in her hand when she reached them. However there was apparently no danger; just Kali hugging a man half hunched in the dirt with blood dripping down the side of his face. He was folded in half and sitting on his long legs, muscles thicker than Derek’s and covered in scratches.

“This must be Ennis.”

Derek nodded. “He’s been shot with wolfs bane bullets but he should live, provided we get him treated in time. Did you find anyone?”

Allison shook her head. “No but I know what direction these cloaked people went. They disappeared into the forest on the other side of the town.”

“Just the two of us going after them would be a stupid idea, but trekking inward a little might reveal something we can use later to find them.” Derek theorized. “Kali I want you to gather anything you want to take with you back to Beacon Hills. We’ll leave the moment Allison and I get back. Roar if there is danger.”

Kali agreed.

Taking off down the hill, Allison entered the woods with Derek and nearly tripped over a severed leg in a dusty brown boot. A severed _human_ leg as far as she could tell. She glanced at Derek and he growled; rolling his shoulders before stalking deeper into the thick cluster of big drooping leaves.

Someone had left a bloody trail of body parts and pink innards; it was worse than when the Wendigos would drag off a live goat or horse.

They had only walked a little ways in when a deep accented voice said, “I know you’re there. I can smell you.”

Derek breathed out heavily through his nostrils. “Deucalion?”

A man was slumped naked against a tree, surrounded by the pieces of what was left of the hooded figures he’d killed. His eyes were closed and as Derek and Allison grew closer they could detect bloody tears streaked down his cheeks.

“Deucalion.” Derek repeated. “It’s Derek Hale.”

“Derek?” Deucalion’s body went lax, finally giving into exhaustion. “I didn’t think anyone would come for us.”

“The Hales look out for their allies.” Derek cupped his face. “I am just sorry that we couldn’t get here sooner. What happened?”

“We were attacked. They set upon us like ghosts and those they didn’t kill, they kidnapped.” Deucalion whispered. “I tried to fight them off but they—they did something to me. To my eyes.”

“Open them,” Derek requested and he did. “Can you see at all?”

“Not as I am.” His eyes were rimmed red and milky white, healed but damaged beyond repair. “Whoever they were, whatever poisons they had they tossed them into my face to try to slow me down. It worked. Marginally.” Pausing, he turned his sightless attention to Allison. “Who have you brought with you? She…doesn’t smell like a wolf.”

Derek took off his jacket and used it to cover Deucalion. “One of the Hunters from Beacon Hills.”

Deucalion—who was remarkably calm considering his situation—arched a brow. “An Argent I presume. I suppose what your mother has told me about them is true. Shame you are not seeing me at my best.”

Allison smiled. “From the looks of it you’re still a bad ass. I’m Allison.” Slowly she touched his hand, careful not to spook him. “We’re going to help you get back to Beacon Hills where you can be treated.”

Slowly getting to his feet, Deucalion let Derek begin to guide him back towards the town. “No that is too far a journey and too perilous especially at night. In my condition I would just slow you down. There is a place called Sanctuary not far from here that specializes in hurt werewolves. If you would take me there I would be very much appreciated.”

Silently it was decided that they would do just that. Not like they could just leave them to fend for themselves of course. 

Using the tip of her dagger to push the hood of one of the body’s aside, Allison found herself staring into the slack face of something that _seemed_ human but she wasn’t sure it actually was. It was almost like it was pretending; a patchwork quilt of bits and pieces sown together to resemble a person. _What the hell are we dealing with here? Could this also become an issue for Beacon Hills?_

_And what will we do if it does?_

Watching Deucalion be reunited with Kali and Ennis made Allison feel warm inside though she was still sad they hadn’t been able to help more people. She would never understand the mindset that all werewolves were to be hated and destroyed. Seeing it firsthand coming from Kate and Gerard just made her more determined to be as impartial as she could be. She never wanted to have that much hatred in her heart for another species.

“Hey.” Derek walked past her, brushing her back with his arm. “Come with me.”

Allison blinked but matched his strides as he headed towards the old buildings in the field, coming to one that looked like it was only being held together by thin silver threads. He felt at the leftover rusted panels and pushed one to the side, revealing a series of locking curved symbols that she’d never seen before but felt like she should have been able to place. With a flick of his wrist the symbols clicked and the sound of gears twisting against each other grated loudly underneath their feet.

Seconds later the ground opened up with a hiss to reveal a small spiral staircase. “Remember that thing I told you we needed to check out? It’s down here.”

“Did—did your family build this?” She inquired in awe.

“My grandfather helped or so I was told.” Derek sighed and headed down. “There is one in Beacon Hills but like this one it’s hidden.”

The room was not unlike a root cellar but much cleaner with clusters of white crystals hanging from the ceiling that somehow gave off brilliant white light. There were no wires or cables or generators; Allison knew some form of magic existed but this appeared to be another level if it _was_ in fact magic.

In the center of the room on an ivory white pedestal was a gorgeous little tree—not unlike a Bonsai tree—with bright red and white flowers. The petals seemed to give off an unnatural shine, filling the air with an incredibly sweet smell. In all honesty she had never seen such a plant before.

“It’s beautiful,” Allison murmured. The tips of her fingers itched to touch. “How does it survive down here without sunlight?”

Derek cut his eyes to her before dropping them to her twitching fingers. “You can touch it if you want. Gently.”

Allison snorted out a laugh—geeze Stiles was a bad influence—but slowly moved forward and as delicately as she could, rubbed at one of the silky petals. A spark of electricity tickled its way through her palm and along her wrist, making her gasp and jerk her hand away. “What _was_ that? What is this?”

Derek was frowning, his brows drawn together severely. “Have you ever heard of a Nemeton?” She shook her head no and he continued. “It’s like a sacred tree. It was once used by Druids for rituals; to them they represented the center of the world. Anyway there aren’t a lot of them left in the world thanks to the Nogitsune but it just so happens there is one in Beacon Hills. Sort of.”

 _I’ve never seen anything like this back home._ “Where? Granted I haven’t seen all of Beacon Hills but I would have noticed something like this.”

Derek wet his lips. “This is just a seed from one of the buds. A true Nemeton is magnificent and stretches upward for miles. The trunk is as wide as your living room. It’s sort of…hidden in Beacon Hills because in the wrong hands the bark could be dangerous to supernaturals. My family has tended ours for as long as I can remember. Making sure it’s healthy…”

Allison sighed and tried to make sense of what he was saying. “Why would the Nogitsune want to destroy a tree?”

He folded his arms across his chest. “Because it’s a sacred tree with magical properties _and_ probably one of the only things that could contain it. Anyway the point is my mom gave Deucalion a seed from the Nemeton as a gesture of good will and standing when they were a bit younger. It grew into this. By simply existing it’s helped his Pack prosper and grow in many ways.” He grunted. “Mom wanted me to check on it while I was here…”

“Why?”

“Can I trust you, Allison?”

“Excuse me?”

“Can I _trust_ you? I’m telling you very detailed things about my family history that could come back to bite me in the ass if you decide to share it with the wrong person. I told Kali I did to put her at ease but I need to be _sure_.”

Pushing down the anger that was steadily bubbling to the top, Allison faced him. “And here I thought we were actually making headway towards…” Trailing off, she huffed. “Trust me, don’t trust me. I don’t give a shit. I’m risking my life to help _your_ allies but hey, it’s nothing. I’m a Hunter, I’m the enemy.”

Derek grabbed her upper arm. “It’s—fuck. _Look_ at the tree. Really look at it. Please.”

Wiggling her arm free, Allison resisted the urge to punch him in the throat. Instead she leaned closer to the tree, dark brown eyes scanning the petals. There were black spots on some of them and the small leaves, like rot but as she continued to watch the black spread along the veins up to the main stem. That particular leaf shuddered and curled inwardly, dissolving into tiny flakes of ash. “Okay that’s not normal.”

“Exactly. And if it’s happening to this seed or bud or whatever, we can only imagining what is happening to the Nemeton itself.” Derek replied wearily. “A dying Nemeton has never signaled anything good to come. C’mon. We need to get Deucalion and the others to safety.”

 _What in the world have I gotten in the middle of?_ “Wait I’m confused. Why not just check on this…Nemeton if it’s in Beacon Hills somewhere? I mean I know we came out here for Deucalion’s pack but…”

Derek rolled his shoulders. “This _was_ about Deucalion but my mother wanted me to check on the seedling while here if possible. The location of the true Nemeton is a secret and, well, honestly Beacon Hills has too many eyes. My Uncle Peter has been obsessed with finding its location for _years_ now and as bad as it is to say, he has spies. So this was actually easier to pull off. He doesn’t give any fucks about Deucalion so he wouldn’t have paid any attention to news about me visiting him. And…” He shook his head. “Like I said if this one is in this shape we can only guess how the actual Nemeton is fairing. We’ll have to check on it but only when we can be sure it’s safe.”

With a last look to the little tree Allison turned and followed Derek back to the surface. He closed the room once she was out and apparently that was _that_ until they had more time to talk.

Kali—now that she was a bit more centered—had taken on more of an in charge sort of role which Allison suspected was true to her personality. She didn’t want to just sit around and be upset; she waddled to help get Deucalion some clothes and fashioned him a stick to help him know if there was anything in his way while he walked. Meanwhile because Ennis was technically in the worst shape Allison helped Derek make a stretcher to carry him on.

By the time they’d found all of the bodies and made burial pyres for them, it was noon and they were finally able to get moving.

“You’re quiet,” Derek said after they’d been walking awhile. Kali was arm in arm with Deucalion while Derek pulled Ennis on the stretcher. 

Allison shrugged. “Just thinking. It’s been an interesting couple of days.”

He hummed. “Look about earlier—”

“Actually can we not do the _sorry I said something horrible to you, again_ thing?” She inquired blankly. “It is what it is. Besides we’ll be home soon and things can go back to normal. In fact I’m gonna scout ahead and make sure everything is okay.”

Without waiting for a reply she twirled her bow off her back and jogged ahead. She needed some time to clear her mind and sort through everything she’d been privy too.

∆ 

The woods were thick and dense with sagging leaves from low branch trees and overgrown bushes. Derek could _just_ make out Allison in front of them and if he focused he could hear the steady _thump thump_ of her heart which meant so far there was nothing dangerous around. On the stretcher Ennis was grunting in pain but otherwise doing alright—he would make it if treated appropriately. Derek wasn’t his biggest fan but he knew how much Kali loved him so he wanted him to pull through for her sake. Deucalion, well, even blind he was a formidable force to be reckoned with. They’d survive.

And their misfortune would alert others to this new possible threat.

“I wondered how you guys could feel any sort of safety with Hunters lurking about, but I suppose she’s alright.” Kali mused with her trademark smirk in place. “One of the rare ones I’d assume.”

Derek arched a brow. “Her father is okay but the rest of her family is fucking psycho.”

Kali chuckled. “She likes you.”

Derek tensed. “Why would you say that?”

Deucalion jumped in with, “It is probably because she has eyes. However even without mine I can attest to what Kali says. This…Allison is quite fond of you if her hormones are to be believed. Is that why you’re keeping her at a distance?”

Derek rolled his eyes though there was a kernel of truth to what they were saying. “It’s complicated. And I don’t consider myself keeping her at a distance. I just…she’s an _Argent_ and we’ve all heard the stories of how dangerous they can be. I suppose I tend to be vigilant around her.”

“Are you the same way with her father?” Kali asked as innocently as someone with her attitude could. “Because somehow I don’t think that is the case. But I’m sure you have your reasons for being the way you are towards her. Humans have feelings too though, Derek. So I hear anyway.”

“Shut up.” Derek griped and she laughed.

In all honesty Derek was glad they seemed to be in good spirits considering what they’d been through. He knew deep down inside however they were dying; losing so many members of your Pack in one day was a harrowing experience he hoped he never had to go through. And now Deucalion was vulnerable to attack by a wayward Beta hoping to elevate his or her status, though they would have the fight of their life on their hands should they try anything. Really he’d feel better about them returning with him to Beacon Hills but he’d honor their wishes to do otherwise.

Really though Derek didn’t know which problem to focus on first. When he’d agreed to check on Deucalion he’d assumed the biggest issue would be Wendigos since they were such a big menace. In the back of his mind he could hear his mother’s concerns about the Nemeton but he’d never expected to find it…decaying. Well a part of it decaying anyway but if a seed from the Nemeton was dying it could only mean the entire thing was also in danger. Losing the Nemeton was not a possibility they could handle. And yet if it were happening he had no idea how they could stop it.

Sacred trees didn’t just _die_.

On top of that was whoever or whatever had attacked Deucalion’s Pack. Were they a danger to other Packs? Why had they killed some and kidnapped others? And would they eventually make their way to Beacon Hills?

Perhaps it was time for that delegation his mother had often talked about. A meeting of supernatural creatures to talk about new threats could only be a good thing, right?

After walking through the forest and crossing a low stream in which Derek carried the stretcher across _first_ and then came back for Ennis they finally made it to Sanctuary. It was near dark when the looming, solid metal wall came into view. It stretched across the entire town as far as Derek could tell. Over the gates on a thick wooden sign was the carving of a wolf. 

In fact Derek could smell nothing _but_ wolves. “We’re here. How do we get in?”

Kali let go of Deucalion’s arm to ring a huge battered bell by way of a long chord. It echoed into the distance and minutes later a man leaned over the ramparts to look down at them. “Who goes there?”

“My name is Deucalion and I am an Alpha. I am injured and so are members of my Pack. One needs treatment for wolfs bane poisoning and the other is heavily pregnant.” Deucalion announced.

The man eyed them and then motioned to Allison. “All of you but her can come inside.”

Derek frowned. “Why can’t she come inside?”

“No humans. Tis the rule.” The man said. “This is a _werewolf_ sanctuary. Wolves only.”

“It’s okay.” Allison said with a small smile. “I’ll wait out here while you get the others settled. I’ll be fine.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you.” Deucalion told her as he grasped her hand. “Thank you for risking your life to help me and mine.”

“You’re very welcome. Until we meet again.”

Although leaving Allison outside in what was basically the wilderness was not something he wanted to do, Derek knew he had to get his friends squared away. So with an unhappy grumble he agreed to the gate master’s terms and shuffled inside once the enormous doors were cranked open, leaving Allison to sit on the ground and wait for his return.

Once inside it was easy to get Ennis and Deucalion the help they needed since Alphas’s were generally treated with respect no matter where they went. Deucalion informed the people in charge about his attack—which they immediately wanted to blame on humans though Deucalion wouldn’t let them—and they suggested fortifying their stronghold with more guards for the time being. Derek was asked a few questions about his Pack and Alpha which seemed to be policy or something and then he was saying his goodbyes to Deucalion, promising to check up on him soon.

About thirty minutes later he was returning to Allison, thankful that nothing had tried to carry her off while he was gone. He had a feeling no one would have tried to help if that had been the case. “Hey, sorry about that. I would have complained for you.”

She got up and brushed off the back of her pants. “I told you it’s fine. Whatever helps them feel safer. So, ready to head home?”

“It’ll be night soon and traveling especially when we don’t know what’s out there would be silly.” Derek rubbed at his scruff. “There could be Skrigs as well as whatever fucked up Deucalion’s people.”

“We could make camp again somewhere. I have a bit more Mountain Ash.” Allison patted her bag.

“Do you know what _nidos de hierro_ are?”

“Nope.”

“Well loosely translated it means _iron nests_. They’re made by the Águilas and serve as a sort of refuge for those without wings when they need a place to crash or heal. I’m told they were paid handsomely for their contribution to the supernatural world even though they prefer to remain in the mountains.”

“They’re bird people right? Well eagle people?”

Derek nodded. “And notoriously private. Anyway one of their safe houses should be close; I saw markings while we were transporting Deucalion and the others.”

Allison gestured in front of her. “Lead on. Not sleeping on the ground sounds really good.”

Breaking into a brisk jog because he now knew she could keep up, Derek headed back the way they’d came before veering down a path nearly undetectable to the naked eye. He wasn’t sure if their mission had been a success but Deucalion would live so that was something. And it had been proven to him that he could trust Allison even if he’d always figured he could, deep down anyway. His mother would be pleased to hear he’d been as cordial as he could despite a few slip ups.

She would be less pleased to hear about the attack and the Nemeton.

They reached one of the _nidos de hierro_ just as the sun disappeared below the horizon and the day time sounds gave way to night. It was a wide round structure—much like an egg—built into the branches of a sturdy tree. From a distance it probably looked small but once they were closer you could tell it was a decent size; most likely big enough for a bed, tub and toilet of some kind if the golden pipes disappearing into the tree roots were any indication.

Derek gave the swinging rope ladder a tug and then climbed up, pushing open the simply made door to peep inside. It was a bit dusty but inhabitable. “This will do for the night.” He turned and offered his hand to Allison once she was almost to the top, heaving her the rest of the way in. 

She tripped and tumbled against his chest, cheeks pink as she quickly righted herself. “Sorry,” she breathed moving over to a sunken chair. “Anyway this place is nice. Not what I expected but I like it.”

He hummed. “You can sprinkle down some Mountain Ash if it’ll make you feel better. I’ll take first watch.”

Allison didn’t reply so Derek leaned back into the doorway and exhaled, blinking as his eyes became accustomed to the dark and then beyond, seeing what humans couldn’t see. He wasn’t sure if either of them would be getting any sleep and he was used to running on four hours anyway. While he liked roaming and stretching his legs, testing his senses, he found that he missed Beacon Hills. It was the only home he’d ever known though once he’d abstractly thought about moving elsewhere. Perhaps after becoming Alpha to strike out on his own. _If_ he became Alpha of course.

The rustling of paper caught his attention and he glanced over to see Allison digging in her bag, pulling out yellowing pieces of parchment and black charcoal pencils. “Do you write or draw?”

“I write down notable stuff Stiles might be interested in but I’m better at drawing if you mean artistically.” She explained.

“You and Stiles are pretty close?” He asked.

“We’re friends.” She snorted at what he was implying. “He’s…well he’s _Stiles_. You know what he’s like. I’d say Lydia is my best friend but Stiles sort of _believes_ easier than anyone else, even with all that we know to be true. If I went home and told him I saw a shark squirrel hybrid he’d believe me.”

“So he’s gullible.” He ventured and she chuckled. “Sounds about right.”

“Maybe but if you’re trying to convince someone a shark squirrel hybrid attack is imminent he’s the guy you’d want in your corner.” She winked at him. “And not just because he’d run to Scott for help but that’s a nice incentive. Scott’s help means Hale help.”

Derek folded his arms over his chest. “Why are you so alright with werewolves when the rest of your family hates us? Except for Chris. I…am under the impression your mother wasn’t fond of us either.”

Allison’s hand paused in her drawing. “My dad isn’t a saint and he’s done things he wishes he could take back, but he realized a long time ago you can’t fight forever. Trying to do so is just stupid. Especially when you do so under the pretense that it’s for a greater good when it’s really about your own ego—like it was for Gerard. Like it is for Kate. The reality is having werewolves around _can_ make things safer so why pretend otherwise? Why push for conflict when there doesn’t have to be any?” Very slowly she started to sketch again. “As for my mother well...she came from a Hunter family with their own thoughts and ideals. I don’t know if she ever changed her mind about wolves but she was in favor of the treaty with your family. Maybe she was just tired of the fighting too.”

He didn’t want to antagonize but he had to ask, “So if Hunters came to Beacon Hills and tried to kill my Pack, what would you do? What would the Argents do?”

Without missing a beat she replied, “Nous protégeons ceux qui ne peuvent pas se protéger.”

Naturally he recognized it as the Argent’s personal Hunter code; _We protect those that cannot protect themselves._ They’d changed it from the more generic _Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent_ after the treaty was signed. Apparently “we hunt those who hunt us” had no place in this new world they were attempting to help forge.

Still, “What does that mean to you?”

Allison sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear in a move he could only assume was deliberate. “It means Beacon Hills is my home and I will kill anyone or anything that comes and tries to destroy it _and_ those that live there. You know Derek, you talk a lot about what Hunters might do but what about what _wolves_ might do? Would you help us if a bunch of wolves came with a grudge against Hunters? Maybe you’d like things better if we were all dead. Give you peace of mind.”

 _Okay I deserved that._ “I wouldn’t actually. Like you I’d fight. I’d help. Anyway I was just curious…I meant no harm. I know you and the others bust your ass to keep the borders clear.”

“Okay,” she said dubiously.

“So…thank you.” Derek cleared his throat and pretended to hear something off in the distance. He had a feeling this trip had complicated matters way beyond dying trees and mysterious attackers. Yet he had no idea which would turn out to be more dangerous.


	4. Open Wound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the lapse in updates but I'm here with a brand spanking new chapter! If you're still around and enjoying this story please let me know! I'd really appreciate it so much. <3

Chapter Four: Open Wound

All things considered Allison was surprised how her first solo mission with Derek had gone. She’d expected them to be at each others’ throats the entire time but it had almost been…nice. At least it proved they could be civil and get along which would be so important in the years to come when they were both in charge. Derek was still a prickly bastard at the best of times but he honestly believed she and her father wanted what was best for Beacon Hills. As long as that remained true the rest would fall into place. Still it was clear they were about to be tested—this new threat was uncharted territory and she really hated that.

The woods around them were mostly quiet except for the normal sounds of animals scurrying and birds chirping. They were on their way back home, moving quickly but calmly. “What do you think attacked Deucalion and his people? And why?”

Derek shrugged absently. “Who knows? I’m familiar with quite a few of the supernatural creatures out there but there is no telling what could be hiding in the dark corners. And unfortunately fringe groups that hate werewolves or simply want chaos pop up all of the time. We’re not living in a utopia.”

That made her sad but it was true. Kate was annoying proof of that. “I just…I could never imagine going after an entire village just because they were different than me. It seemed less like a random thing and more like a strategic hit. Or a message.”

Derek stepped over a large fallen log. “I had a similar thought and it wasn’t a pleasant one. We’re going to have to up security and try to keep people from panicking. Maybe a white lie about Wendigos until we actually know what we are dealing with.”

She nodded. “I can handle that. I’ll inform my father about the state of Deucalion’s village and suggest we keep it on the down low. Last thing any of us need is misinformation getting out. Kate would _no doubt_ use it to her advantage to stir up trouble.”

Derek rolled his eyes at the mention of her Aunt’s name. “Not surprising. What do you plan to tell your father about…the other stuff I showed you?”

Allison nibbled on her bottom lip. She hated keeping secrets from him especially since usually they came back around to bite her in the ass, but this wasn’t exactly _her_ news to tell. And Derek had shown her the Nemeton seedling in confidence; she didn’t want to slash into it when it was already fragile. “I’ll tell him the truth about Deucalion since that’s why he thought we left Beacon Hills in the first place. He needs to know about that thing we found and that someone had the audacity to actually attack a werewolf village. It’s werewolf business and we sort of deal in that.” She waved a hand. “I wish we could have got that vein-y thing back to Beacon Hills for the others to see. Damn, I should have taken an arm or something.”

Derek huffed but it seemed to be in jest. “I would…consider it a personal favor if you didn’t tell him about the Nemeton. Not yet. I need to explain its possible condition to my mother and figure out our next step.”

“Of course,” she said easily. “Out of curiosity, what do you plan to do if it is dying? Can it be saved?”

“I honestly don’t know. I hope so. My family has passed down tales about the Nemeton’s power for generations and I’ve seen a little of what it can do when used properly. If it died? I have no idea what would happened but it’s obvious it would be nothing good. My mom has never told me specifics because I supposed she figured there was no need…” He smoothed a hand across the back of his neck. “Guess now she will have to. I am not looking forward to more bad news.”

Allison pulled at her gray knit cap. “It’s a shame if the Nemeton is dying or whatever. That little tree was beautiful. Still don’t know why it shocked me though.”

Derek exhaled and it sounded like it contained the worries of the whole world. “If it’s dying it could lead to all sorts of odd things. Or maybe it just didn’t like you poking at it.”

She laughed. “Hey _you’re_ the one who said I could touch it. I thought you were sort of an expert on it and here you’re just egging me on to fondle the sacred tree. I could have broken several ancient codes or some shit.”

Derek grinned and when he did it lit up his entire face. “You’re still alive so I think you’re okay. In any case I…might need your help getting to the real one in Beacon Hills. Outwitting Peter and what have you.”

 _That sounds like fun._ “Sure. I—whatever you need.”

Turning her eyes away from him, Allison pinched at the back of her hand hard to keep her heartbeat in check. While she’d learned to remain calm in stressful situations in order to be a proficient Hunter, it was a different matter altogether when it came to attraction. And she wasn’t ashamed to admit that she was attracted to Derek in _some_ type of way; hell half of Beacon Hills could claim the same. He was a crabby scowl-er but he was also brave and very intelligent and more than easy on the eyes. She was of the opinion that you couldn’t see someone with _his_ looks and body—many times shirtless or wet—and not feel a tingle. Plus Derek was the noble sort and that in and of itself was an attractive quality.

Plus she’d seen and heard how he used to be with Paige. Tender and kind and funny; treating her better than anyone else in the village even though her parents _strongly_ disapproved of their relationship.

Though if she were being honest her _thing_ for him had started years ago when she was younger and he’d saved her life.

_I wonder if he even remembers that? We hadn’t even been formally introduced. I wonder if he wished he hadn’t after he found out who I was?_

_That would be a slap in the face._

Of course while she was thinking Derek was oblivious to her mixed up feelings it was entirely possible he knew everything and just wasn’t mentioning it. Or worst case scenario…he was disgusted by them and therefore happy to pretend they didn’t exist. With Derek Hale it could be anything.

“I think Kali and Deucalion are kinda fond of you,” Derek said as if picking up a conversation they’d been in the middle of. “You impressed Deucalion—he’s not used to dealing with mellow Hunters.”

“Yeah?” Allison smiled a little. “He seems like a nice guy. I hope that sanctuary can do something about his eyes. Do you think he’ll attempt to rebuild his Pack?”

“Maybe. After he’s mourned and perhaps if their land can be salvaged.” Derek explained. “If they want to rebuild I know my mother will want to help him. I think he should go elsewhere though. When Ennis is well he’ll want revenge and I don’t see that working out for any of them. I just hope he doesn’t do something stupid.”

“Well he has a kid on the way so maybe that will help him get his priorities straight.” Allison offered up. “And until they find out what attacked them—if they even find out—there isn’t much he can do.”

Derek snorted. “You don’t know Ennis. He wouldn’t let a little thing like common sense stop him.” Shaking his head, he changed the subject. “Anyway you helped me out and I’m thankful. If you ever need help on one of your runs I’d be willing to lend a hand.”

Allison went with the urge to bump his shoulder with her own. “I will remember that. Might be good for you to see how I operate when I’m in _my_ element.”

Derek spared her a sideways glance. “I’ve seen you on your runs before.”

And _that_ was news to her ears. “Wait, what? How? I mean you’re never participated and I distinctly remember you asking about them like you’d never seen one before.”

Clearing his throat, he turned his attention to the scenery in front of them. “You know I’ve had…issues trusting your family. It’s not something I’m exactly proud of but I’ve never felt the need to hide it either. Anyway when you guys first started with the runs I took it upon myself to monitor a few to make sure they were what you said they were. So yes I’ve seen you.”

In truth Allison had felt eyes on her before while leading Wendigos to their deaths but she’d always assumed it had been others with the common sense not to fall for the bait. But apparently it could have been Derek, squirreled away in the woods somewhere watching her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it or his deception. “I…see,” she said slowly. “Okay.”

“I meant no offense.”

“Yeah I think you’ve said that before. It’s fine.”

“From your tone it doesn’t sound fine.”

“Well how would you feel if you found out I’d been spying on you?”

“I would expect it. Why would you just blindly trust the people your family used to hunt?”

And that was the crux of it all, wasn’t it? No matter what strides they made she would always be a pointy eared Argent and he would always be wary of everything attached to her family’s name, no matter how hard they worked to show otherwise. It made her angry and more than a bit sad.

_I guess we just aren’t meant to be friends._

Conversation was sparse after that because if nothing mattered then why even try to make small talk? Derek seemed to realize he’d said the wrong thing but didn’t try to correct it, so Allison pushed it out of her mind and focused on what they’d found in Deucalion’s village. Anyone else would probably think of this as an isolated incident but she wasn’t anyone else. From a young age she’d been taught a healthy sense of paranoia— _it’ll keep you alive_ —her father’s words were ever present in the back of her mind. So she couldn’t help but worry whatever creature attacked the Alphas would strike again and soon if the motive simply wasn’t to cause as much destruction as possible. The only question was where. Where would they hit next and would anyone be able to stop them?

Second on the agenda was the state of the Nemeton; she still wasn’t one hundred percent on the details of some magical tree she’d only heard about a day ago. When she flexed her fingers she could still feel that jolt from its leaves tingling within her fingertips. Allison got the impression Derek knew more about it than he was letting on, but she wasn’t about to _ask_ anymore. As long as it didn’t cause her future harm she’d eventually forget about it.

Yanking off her cap, she stuffed it into her pocket and gathered up her mass of dark hair to twirl it into a messy bun atop her head. Derek’s eyes cut to her ears but he didn’t say anything, not that she expected him to. They were like her very own scarlet letter though she only felt self conscious about them when people stared. And the only people who tended to stare were wolves.

The stigma of them was why she tried so hard to prove some Hunters could be trusted. It would probably get her killed one day but it wasn’t like Argents lived to hit old age anyway; a fact that had her worrying for her dad almost constantly. But whenever she died if it had to be violent she hoped it was protecting someone. She hoped it was giving them a chance to get away or finish the fight she’d started. She didn’t want to go like Gerard or her great Uncle Alexander.

“We’ll be home soon.”

Derek’s voice pulled her out of her morbid thoughts. “Okay,” she replied softly. _The nightmare is almost over for you._

The silence returned and stretched on for another few yards before Derek sighed deeply and rolled his strong shoulders. “The moon was full and the outskirts of the forest were teeming with thick, dense fog. It was white and hung in the air like ghostly wisps or something as equally poetic. You were with a group of four; I think it was maybe your fifth or sixth time actually participating with the runs. Full of nervous excitement and tension, your heart was pounding like thunder. I could pick out its sound over all the others.” Allison’s pink lips parted but he ignored her and continued talking. “I watched you from the shadows—ran beside you and this other guy from the thickness of the brush and you never even knew I was there. The moonlight hit your face and you were _smiling_. Smiling…while blood-thirsty Wendigos chased you through the woods. I thought you were insane but you looked, well, you looked beautiful. Like you were completely in your element. And you were newly sixteen so you can guess how problematic that thought was.”

Perhaps to some but Allison had no concerns whatsoever over Derek thinking she was beautiful at sixteen. Not like it came from a lewd place. “No it’s—thank you. I never would have…it’s interesting to hear about myself from that perspective. I think I remember the night you’re talking about. Once the adrenaline gets pumping I do tend to get a bit giddy. It’s dumb but hormones and stuff.”

He hummed and she knew her cheeks were probably strawberry red but she didn’t care. Just knowing Derek had that sort of memory of her tucked away made her feel silly and a little stupid. God he was just an irritating enigma that she couldn’t pin down no matter how hard she tried. She’d always been certain he didn’t like her but maybe he did. Or maybe he just didn’t despise her which wasn’t the same as being fond of her. However if he could tolerate her more than he let on, why the deception? Did it have anything to do with “the incident” three years ago?

“I can’t figure you out.” Allison kicked a rock off into the distance. “Something tells me that’s the point though. I don’t know why but…”

Derek didn’t reply but the thought stayed with Allison for the rest of their trip home.

∆

“I didn’t hear you come in.”

Groaning and pulling the pillow from over her head, Allison made a face as her dad slowly pushed open her tattered curtains, letting in the light. “Ugh what are you doing? I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in days.”

Chris chuckled. “It’s almost one in the afternoon or there about. What time did you get in this morning?”

Irritated she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “I don’t know but the sun was starting to rise. I was going to tell you all about my trip _after_ I’d had some rest. Sleeping on the ground wasn’t fun and that nest thing had enough dust to choke me out.”

Chris offered her a cup of hot coffee. “Well you can tell me now. I’m glad to see you’re still in one piece.”

Allison sat up and took the cup, giving it a cursory sniff. “No Derek did not murder me or even try to. He was jerky a few times but nothing I couldn’t handle. Dad, we saw such amazing things out there. Old ruins and marooned ships—it was really exciting. And we ran into a pack of Skrigs but thanks to the mountain ash I’d brought we were safe.” Pausing to take a sip, she continued. “We found Deucalion and his people but they’d been attacked by these weird hooded figures. The whole village had been decimated with only three wolves left alive. Derek and I took them to this sanctuary and I think they’re going to be okay.”

That information made Chris frown. “Tell me about these hooded figures.”

Allison put her cup on the bedside table. “There wasn’t much left of them to be honest. Deucalion had ripped those left to shreds but they were cloaked in black. But they looked diseased and that’s putting it nicely. It was like someone had made a person from rotten spare parts. I’d never seen anything like it.”

Chris rubbed at his bearded chin. “And they’d destroyed the whole village?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Deucalion had a Pack full of Alphas and only three were left. Oh!” Clamoring to the end of her bed she dragged her bag up onto the mattress. “I did manage to get this. I figure we can give it to Deaton to check out.” She showed her father the red dart. “It was used in the attack. Oh um, Derek wants the particulars kept a secret for the time being. Don’t want people panicking until we have all of the details.”

Very carefully Chris took the dart from her and gave it a sniff. “Hm nothing. Some undetectable toxin perhaps. I’ll take this over to Deaton since I’m sure Talia wants to talk about what happened to her friend. And I agree this should be kept quiet until we figure out how to proceed.” He stood and kissed Allison on the top of her head. “You did good work, sweetheart.”

Allison smiled. “Thanks. That’s why I’m in charge.”

He snorted and left the room. “Good thing that hasn’t gone to your head.”

Allison snickered, stretching her arms over her head. She wanted to go back to sleep but decided facing the day would be more productive. Stumbling out of bed she went into the bathroom and did her morning routine but added a much needed bath. Afterwards she dressed and took the stairs two at a time before swinging into the kitchen. It was almost two but as far as she was concerned, it was still too early to deal with Kate.

Her Aunt was lounging in the kitchen with her legs crossed at the ankle, boots perched on the table. “Look who’s finally awake. Guess Derek wore you out huh? He looks the type. I bet he could go all night if you wanted him to.”

Allison rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you have better things to do than annoy me.”

Kate shrugged. “Of course but you’re so _easy_ especially when it comes to Derek. I can’t tell if you’re into him or honestly just trying to keep the peace. I suppose it could be both though.”

Taking a small basket out of the stove, Allison pulled back the cloth and touched to see if the biscuits were still warm. “From the way you’re constantly talking about him I’m starting to think you’re into him. Which would be extremely sick considering the way you treat him and his family.”

“I have eyes, Allison. I can tell when someone is gorgeous or not.” Kate muttered. “Derek is hot. He’d make a great pet if I thought he could be broken down. Take away his bite and you could do whatever you wanted with him. Imagine having something that like on a short leash. I’d keep him chained and hard so I could use him whenever I got the itch. Would have to get him snipped though, don’t want no mongrel kids tainting the bloodline.”

 _Disgusting. How are we related?_ “I have work to do.” Without waiting for a reply Allison quickly left, eating her biscuit on the way.

Kate was a product of Gerard but it was sad to think she’d never try to see things for herself. Never try to break the mould he’d created like _her_ father had done. She was quite happy hating werewolves and thinking of them as lesser creatures when that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Talia Hale was one of the kindest women Allison had ever met—kinder than Victoria Argent had been, and that was just a fact—but Kate only saw the claws and the fangs.

The fucked up part was that her Aunt would have flourished in the time right after the Nogitsune appeared when there was nothing but chaos. She would have burned bright, drenched in blood and bones before ultimately going out in a blaze of glory. Allison almost wished that for her.

In any case it was nice to be back in Beacon Hills where things were normal and quiet. No doubt Stiles wanted to hear about her adventure and make sure she was still alive, but she decided she would visit him in due time. Right now she wanted lotus truffles so that she could perhaps make a pie later, and that meant wading into the cool waters of the river. She did however stop to pet Samson for a few moments.

Lotus truffles only grew against the damp mossy banks of the BH river. The deeper you moved into the water the better quality you would be able to get. She wasn’t sure how to classify them but from all reports they hadn’t existed back in the day. They were round pink things that could be eaten as is or used as pie/cake filling, and really they looked nothing like actual truffles at all. But they were sweet and good when you were sick of apples and berries.

Shrugging out of her jacket and shoes, she spotted the _community waders_ as the old black galoshes were affectionately called and pulled them on. They were just a pair of old rubber boots everyone tended to use if they needed to get into the water for whatever reason. Easier and better than messing up your own. No one seemed to care they didn’t really keep your feet dry.

Allison’s dark eyes skimmed the surface of the water before she slowly made her way in, planting her feet firmly so that she wouldn’t slip on the muddy bottom. She eased inward and towards the opposite bank, the water lapping against her knees and then waist the more she became submerged. By the time she could touch the lotus truffles with her fingertips the water was kissing her pale shoulders.

“Annd gotcha,” she grunted as she ripped a group of four off its vine. “A few more and dessert will be set. Hm though I should get some to—”

Without warning she was underwater and it was flowing into her mouth and up her nose choking off her air. Something had a vice like grip on her ankle and was attempting to drag her across the river bed. Well not _attempting_ but actually doing it, the rocks digging scratches into her arms and stomach where her shirt had ridden up. It felt like her leg was going to be yanked right off her body and she knew if she didn’t do something it would pull her out into the deep where the river fed into the ocean. Though she’d probably have drowned by then.

It was difficult to see anything due to the murkiness of the water so she didn’t try. Instead she kicked out with her free foot as hard as she could, connecting with something made of flesh and bone. When that didn’t free her she remembered the Chinese dagger she kept tucked in the back of her pants and fumbled for it, jamming a finger into the ring and stabbing it downward with all the force she could muster. It hit its target and she was abruptly released, her lungs burning as if they were on literal fire.

She kicked and kicked until she broke the surface gasping, chest heaving, spitting dirty water out of her mouth. Her head spun unpleasantly in all directions, her eyes itching with blurred vision. For a brief minute she didn’t know where the shore was but she knew anything was better than lingering in the midst of danger. Just as she started swimming towards the right a figure lunged from the deep and latched onto her shoulder, sharp razor like claws piercing into her skin. It jerked her backwards and she flailed, grabbing the only solid thing her hand could find.

A gnarled tree limb.

Allison didn’t even pause; she turned and shoved the limb backwards, feeling as it made contact with something. Whatever it was howled but its grip lessened and then went completely lax, and she was able to drag herself back to the grassy shore. Panting and coughing, she curled up into a trembling ball and just… _rested_ for a bit as her body absorbed the shock of what had just happened. The flesh on her left shoulder had been gouged open with three deep wounds and was bleeding; if they’d been higher they’d have split her throat wide or even took her head off.

When she felt like she could sit up without throwing up or tipping over, she angled herself into a sitting position and glanced back at the water. Floating dead on its back was—well she had no real idea what it was. Some type of scaly creature dressed in rags with black beady eyes. Or one eye since the branch had been driven into one of them and straight out the other side of its skull. The sun hit it just right and she realized the claws were actually made of metal which just— _what_?

 _I…I need to tell someone. I need to_ show _someone…_

_Now…_

∆

Derek watched his mother pace back and forth in front of their unlit fireplace, her arms folded across her chest. She looked pensive and a bit apprehensive and he couldn’t blame her. The news of Deucalion being attacked was one thing but the Nemeton possibly dying was a serious cause for alarm. In truth Derek hardly ever saw his mom upset but when she was he knew something important was going on. And even now she wasn’t upset so much as…worried. She was quite good at hiding her emotions so as not to distress others.

“It will have to be checked,” she said softly. “We must know for sure if it is dying.”

“And if it is?” Derek inquired. “Is there a way to save it?”

“Yes in theory but it would not be easy. Sacrifices would have to be made,” she replied and turned her attention out of the window. “I’m going to need you to go and see if it is as we fear. I hate asking you to do this my love but…”

“No it should be me. Who else would you trust with something like this?” He smiled at her. “Cora is still too young for something so big and Peter—well—no one trusts Peter with anything.”

Talia chuckled but agreed. “I hope it’s an isolated incident because of whatever attacked Deucalion’s people. That somehow it caused a shift or something but I am not optimistic.”

Derek nodded. “Everything is going to be okay. I get a sample and bring it back to be tested. I can handle this.”

She smiled and walked over to caress his cheek. “I know you can Derek. I have total faith in you.” Pausing, she sighed. “I am happy you were able to save the few that you could and get them to Sanctuary. I will be contacting Deucalion as soon as I can. Perhaps his eyesight can be restored somehow.”

 _Hopefully._ “I don’t think he and the others will want to return to Sacred Ni. Too many bad memories and the land could be poisoned. Those… _things_ looked like they carried disease.”

Talia frowned. “Chris arrived earlier with that dart you and Allison found. Deaton is running tests on it as we speak.” She arched a brow. “It seems you and Allison worked well together.”

Derek snorted. “Worked, sure. But as conversationalists we are terrible. I kept saying the wrong thing and she took offense and I don’t know. I feel like I have to react a certain way with her and that just heads straight into her looking like a kicked puppy afterwards.”

Talia sat down beside him. “Perhaps it would be better if you actually _talked_ to her about what happened all those years ago. You’re making assumptions about how she feels and it’s not fair to you or her. Alienating the leader of the Hunters because of some misplaced guilt isn’t good for anyone.”

He knew that, he did but it was hard to get a grip on. “Things were easier when I was with Paige,” he said offhandedly. “At least they felt that way. It was like I hardly ever interacted with the Argents. She took up a lot of my time.”

“Well I suppose you can’t accidentally use Paige as a buffer anymore.” She patted his hand. “If things are meant to be you’ll find your way back to one another. If they aren’t…you’ll find something new.”

“Allison knows about…” Derek trailed off and made a vague gesture. It was safer to not say _Nemeton_ out loud when they didn’t know where Peter or flunkies loyal to him were lurking. “It shocked her. Literally.”

“Interesting.” Talia mused. “I think telling her was the right way to go. She can be trusted. It…would make sense if you wish for her to accompany you again. I know you’re strong and brave but I would personally feel better with her watching your back.”

As dumb as it was Derek couldn’t lie and say he didn’t feel the same. His _issues_ with Allison aside, she was a competent Hunter and she could see situations differently which was needed sometimes. “I’ll talk to her formally about it. Most likely she’ll be excited to go though maybe I’ll take Scott as well. A nice buffer. In the meantime do you think we should move forward with your conclave idea? If whatever went after Deucalion strikes again or tries to, people should be prepared.”

His mother pursed her lips. “I agree but we don’t want to sow panic and discord. I shall think on it for a few days before making a decision. Hopefully Deucalion will have remembered something else and we’ll have more information.”

Derek opened his mouth to reply when heavy footsteps bounded down the stairs and towards the front door. He leapt from his seat and followed them, catching Scott’s arm right as he was about to burst outside. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Jerked to a stop, Scott grabbed Derek’s bicep to steady himself. “Stiles just contacted me through that listener thing. It’s Allison—she’s been attacked.”

“ _What_?” Derek asked sharply. “Attacked by who? What?”

“I—I don’t know,” Scott stammered. “Stiles just said she was hurt and that I should come to the clinic as fast as I could.”

That was all Derek needed to hear. “Let’s go.”

He didn’t even wait to tell his mother what was going on because he was certain she’d overheard and understood. Together he and Scott reached the village in record time and although he wasn’t really listening, he could pick up bits and pieces of the conversations going on. _Monster. River. Blood. Poor girl, nearly died. Shock. Tragedy. So much blood. Strong. Hunter._

The Beacon Hills clinic was a small building made out of stone and wood. It sat off to itself between a small grove of trees, just a stone’s throw from the larger hospital where the bad cases were taken and the sick could convalesce until they were better. A small crowd had gathered near the door but parted immediately upon seeing him, whispering to each other in voices they probably thought were too low for him to hear. They were wrong of course.

Derek and Scott found Allison sitting on a small cot behind a thin privacy curtain, hair and clothes soaked to the bone. The smell of blood was tangy and overwhelming and Derek realized why the second he laid eyes on her. Something had slashed across her chest quite deep; she still appeared a bit dazed to be honest. Her long brown hair hung damp and thick over her uninjured shoulder. Her shirt had been ripped open from collar to mid chest, exposing more of her skin than he was used to seeing. She was fidgeting with her fingers and shivering; legs pulled up and crossed in front of her.

 _Fuck._ Derek had never seen Allison look so…forlorn before and he found that he didn’t like it. He’d rather have her bitching at him or ignoring him than seeing her staring into the middle distance like she didn’t know what to do with herself. Before he cottoned on to what he was doing, he was pulling a thin blanket from a neighboring bed and gently draping it across her shoulders. She startled a little at his presence and then smiled.

“Hey, what are you two doing here?”

“Stiles told me what happened.” Scott dropped down onto the bed across from hers. “Jesus Allison what _did that_ to you? How did you manage to get away?”

“I’m pretty well trained, Scott.” She rolled her eyes but there was no heat behind it. “I fought it off. My dad and the Sheriff have it in a back room if you wanna look at it. I think Deaton is coming too. It—I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I—” Scott hesitated to leave but after catching Derek’s eye deemed it was okay. “I’ll be right back.” He left quickly.

Allison smiled again and slouched. “I’ll be here.” She watched as Derek took Scott’s seat. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Derek said. “Are you okay?”

She shrugged with a wince. “I’m alive. And I managed to kill that thing so I suppose I’m doing pretty well. I’m surprised to see you.”

That made him frown. “Seriously? You didn’t think I’d come after hearing you were hurt?”

“I don’t know what to think where you are concerned. I don’t think we’ve ever interacted this much so it’s…new. You could just be here for the monster which is fine. Beacon Hills is your home too.”

While Derek was damn interested in whatever the _thing_ was, he wasn’t about to just leave. “I’m here for you. Are you in a lot of pain?”

“Kinda.” She made a face. “Scott’s mom went to get some herbs to make a poultice for me. I’m just glad it didn’t do any lasting damage though I might not be handling a bow for a while.”

Reaching across to take her hand—and finding it cold—Derek exhaled deeply and pulled on a part of him that he didn’t usually share with anyone outside of his family. Paige knew about it but it wasn’t something wolves broadcasted lest it be taken advantage of by sick humans looking for a quick fix or miracle cure. It was a talent all Betas had to some extent but because he shared some of his mother’s unique abilities, he was able to put it to greater use. Able to take more pain. Whenever he became an Alpha it would be second nature and not as taxing, but he was willing to use a bit of energy if it helped Allison feel better.

Her pain manifested black in his veins, like oil slinking up his arm underneath his skin. It didn’t _hurt_ him but the sensation was akin to having an insect crawl lazily across your flesh until you swatted it away.

Allison let out a soft _oh_ and listed to the side. Without much conscious thought Derek moved to her right and let her lean against him, her head dropping to his shoulder. She smelled like river water and cold metal, the usual flowery scent of gardenias dampened by dirt and blood. Surely something had to be done for those gashes besides letting them heal on their own. Maybe Deaton could help.

“This thing that came after you, is it like what went after Deucalion?”

“No,” Allison whispered into the material of his shirt. “Except—except the claws aren’t natural. Something or someone _melded_ claws onto that thing. I don’t know how it got into the water but I mean, it could have swam or just been lying in wait for a while. I’ll have to look into things. Make sure there aren’t more.”

 _Or…_ “You should just focus on getting better.”

She arched a brow. “I can’t just check out because of an injury and what’s more, I don’t want to. Something came into the heart of Beacon Hills and tried to kill me. It probably would have attacked anyone in the water and then we’d have a dead body on our hands. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

They were close now and Derek could see each individual curling eyelash that fanned her nut brown eyes. She looked exhausted but her cheeks were pink, and he couldn’t help but feel that was due to their current proximity rather than anything else. It was wrong to think even tattered at the seams as she was that she was still bright; that she still glowed in a way he wasn’t comfortable dwelling on. He realized he was still holding her hand so he placed it awkwardly on her thigh.

 _She probably thinks I’m insane or prone to mood swings. I suppose in a way she could be right; heightened emotional state being a werewolf and all._ But she wasn’t wrong about needing to investigate the situation.

“Okay,” he said with a nod, picking up the conversation again. “I’ll help you. Where do we begin?”


End file.
